Hello, Doctor
by MandaxPanda
Summary: Sora's a single parent taking care of his five-year-old daughter Kairi all on his own. But Sora's and Kairi's lives change after meeting Dr. Riku Uchida, a pediatrician who soon becomes a big part of their lives. SoraXRiku YAOI. Rated M. READ AND REVIEW! :D
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own it my friends…

Chapter 1

Having a kid at the age of sixteen is pretty much every teenager's nightmare.

And mine became reality… straight up.

I do have to admit it was really stupid of my girlfriend and I to get lost in the passion of the night and forget about all those silly things such as pregnancy and responsibility.

So when we discovered that we were in fact a pregnant couple, you can imagine the shock and utter horror that came over us in a matter of nanoseconds.

And dealing with a pregnant girlfriend for nine months along with school was by far the hardest thing I had ever done in my entire life.

My girlfriend, in the end, couldn't take the heat and dropped out of school. She blamed me for everything. She and her family claimed that I was responsible for ruining her life.

I understood that I had a part in destroying the normalcy of her life, but I was not the only one responsible. She certainly played a part in her own demise.

The baby wasn't guilty of anything though. The baby was the result of stupid decisions. So I was grateful that she didn't blame the baby.

Or at least I thought.

If there was ever a time when I wanted to really hurt someone, it was the day she abandoned her own child.

On the day it was born. I was dubbed the sole caregiver of our baby. I was furious, not because I would have to take care of a baby by myself…

…But that my beautiful child would grow up without a mom. The idea that she would do that to her own kid just made me sick to my stomach.

In the end, I was happy though. I wouldn't have wanted my Kairi to have such a weak and cruel hearted mother anyway.

So I took on the role as mom and dad with pride. Sure my Mom was also the biggest help in rearing my kid, but I made sure that I, myself, would pay for every need that my daughter may have.

I graduated from high school, which was the most fulfilling moment of my life besides when I became a dad, and went directly into working.

I got a job at a convenience store in the neighborhood during the weekdays and a Saturday job at Chuck E. Cheese.

They were the only places that allowed me to take my kid to work. So from the time she turned one to the day she turned three. She and I commuted to work everyday with the exception of Sundays.

Sundays, I look forward to every Sunday. Those days belonged to Kairi and I. We'd see a movie, go to the park, get some ice cream. We could do anything we wanted to without a care in the world.

Sundays were like heaven on earth to me. I loved just being with my daughter more than anything in the whole world. And the smiles Kairi would give me on Sundays were more valuable to me than life itself.

I was probably the luckiest dad on earth to have such a loving and kind kid. Kairi may not have been penciled in my high school agenda, but I could never regret having her.

She was definitely a curveball in the throws of life… but she wasn't a mistake.

Never a mistake.

When Kairi started school, I think my mother and I got used to the flow of childhood. I was so happy that Kairi was making friends and enjoying school. I always knew Kairi loved to learn. She was innately curious about everything… she was always ready to discover something.

But this sort of innate curiosity needed to be monitored. The last thing I needed was for her to see something she shouldn't see or get hurt. But for now… most of the things she was curious about were dirt and bugs and other types of animals.

I soon discovered though, that being interested in dirt and bugs and animals has its dangers.

I figured this out when Kairi tried to eat a slug. I had the biggest nervous breakdown of my entire life. I remember snatching that slug out of her mouth quicker than lightning and driving her home to brush her teeth and wash her mouth out with hydrogen peroxide. And after that, I gave her a long lecture about treasuring the sanctity of nature and therefore leaving animals in their natural habitats and not in our mouths.

It might have been excessive but it was one of the scariest moments of my life. For all I knew, that was a poisonous slug that kills its victims weeks after being ingested.

And that is why, on this Sunday, Kairi and I were at a hospital for a check up. She's had two bouts of hiccups over the span of a week… I knew for sure it was a warning sign.

I could tell Kairi was nervous. I knew it was partly because I was nervous myself, but it was also because we had never been to this clinic before.

It was a small family owned clinic that I had discovered was the only one that took appointments on Sundays. Usually, I have to take the day off on a Saturday for an appointment with Dr. Cloud Strife. I met Cloud one day when he took his son to Chuck E. Cheese. Our kids hit it off really quickly and I guess we did too.

He and I were both single dads so there was a lot we could talk about. It was surprising to think that someone like him was single. I mean, the guy was a super successful pediatric doctor. It was almost appalling that a great catch like him was without a girlfriend.

But as much as I would have loved to make an appointment with him, I couldn't miss any more work so one of our precious Sundays was devoted to Kairi's health and prosperity.

I filled out all of the paperwork and returned the papers to the nurse at the front desk. She smiled at me as she took the clipboard from my hands.

"You're little sister is absolutely adorable." She said.

I smiled in return. "Thank you, but she's actually my daughter. It says right there on the paper!" I said in a cheerful voice.

"Oh! I'm sorry, and I call myself a nurse! I'll read the paper before I speak next time." She said with a blush.

I shook my head. "It's no biggie. I get it all the time. I'm twenty one but I still kind of look like a teenager." I said.

"Wow, she looks to be around five. It must have been real tough to raise her at such a young age yourself." She said.

"Oh it was… but it was definitely worth it. Kairi do you want to come say hello to the nice nurse?" I asked Kairi who seemed glued to her seat.

She got off of the chair and started walking slowly towards the desk.

I chuckled. "Sweetheart, there's nothing to be afraid of, c'mon! I thought you were really brave!" I said.

Kairi huffed a little and started to walk quickly over to me. "I _am _brave!" she boasted as she hugged my leg.

I laughed. "Yeah, brave enough to try and eat a slug." I said and picked her up from the ground. "Now this nice nurse said you were adorable, what do you say when someone pays you a compliment?" I asked.

"Thank you." Kairi said with a smile.

I kissed her on the cheek. "Good. Now why don't you go and play with the toys with the other nice kids while the nurse and I talk about the boring grown-up stuff." I said.

"Okay." She said and I put her down. I watched her move over to the toys.

"So I was wondering if you could tell me about the pediatrician here. Kairi has no problem approaching other kids, but when it comes to adults, she gets really shy. I usually take her to see another doctor at another clinic and so she's really gotten used to him. Do you think she'll have problems with your pediatrician?" I asked.

"I can assure you that Riku Uchida is an excellent doctor who really loves kids. Personally, I don't think you'll have any problems with him. Dr. Riku comes from a long legacy of doctors. Almost all the members of his family are doctors. They've ran clinics for generations. I think it's really great." The nurse said.

"Well since you speak so highly of him, I don't think Kairi will have any problems adjusting." I said with a smile.

"Daddy! Look! I finished the puzzle all by myself!" Kairi yelled from her side of the room.

I cringed but walked over to her. "This is a hospital Kairi, you know you have to be quiet in the hospital." I said to her in a clam voice.

"Sorry…" she pouted.

"Now what did you want to show me?" I asked.

Her face brightened again when she pointed to what was supposed to be a finished puzzle. But it looked as though some other kid had decided she was finished with it and mixed up the pieces again.

I frowned. I could almost see the wave of sorrow that washed over Kairi's face when she saw that her hard work was destroyed before I could see it.

Her eyes welled up with crocodile tears and she started cry. "That boy over there broke it!" she whined as her tears fell.

"Awe, don't cry. It was only a puzzle." I said to her softly.

"B-but I wanted you to see it! It was a puppy dog! It looked like you!" she cried.

I laughed. "So I look like a puppy dog, honey?" I asked.

She started to wipe at her eyes as she nodded.

"Well, if I look like a puppy dog then you look like a kitty cat!" I said and scooped her up.

"Meow!" she said with a giggle.

It was at that moment that I hugged her tightly before showering her in kisses. "You are so cute!" I said before looking her in the face.

"Do you know how happy you make me, Kairi?" I asked.

"Really, really happy?" she asked.

"More like really, really, really, really, REALLY happy!" I said and kissed her cheek.

"I love you, daddy." She said.

"I love you too, hun. Now let's wait for the doctor to come and look at you so I can finally get some peace of mind about this darn slug!" I said.

It was about six minutes later that a nurse finally called my name. I stood and took Kairi's hand. "Let's go get a check up!" I said excitedly, hoping that maybe it would make her less shy.

It was too late, she had already initiated the shy mode sequence which begins with a death grip on the three fingers she was holding.

She and I walked over to the nurse who smiled at us. "My name is Naminé, I'm the nurse who's going to start your check up. It's really nice to meet you, Kairi."

Kairi hid her face in my pant leg before giving a little wave. I smiled and shook my head at her. "She's a totally different person when it comes to meeting adults." I said.

"She's not the only one. Why don't you follow me so that I can weigh her in and all that good stuff?" Naminé asked.

I nodded. "Kairi, did you know that there was a shy eating monster?" I asked.

Kairi looked up at me with a confused expression.

"There's a monster that eats shy little girls and I thought I saw him down that hallway." I said.

Kairi's eyes widened in fear, "Is he after me?" she asked.

I nodded. "You wanna know how to defeat him?" I asked.

She nodded her head frantically. "I don't wanna get eated!" she said.

"Well, if you don't hide behind me and talk to the workers here like you talk to me, he'll perish by the brightness of your smiles and you wont get _eaten._" I explained.

Kairi immediately ran over to the nurse and took her hand. "Hello, nurse Naminé." She said with a huge smile.

I laughed at how gullible my daughter was. Though I'm pretty sure her smiles _could_ melt the hearts of evil monsters.

We entered a room and I sat down and watched Kairi interact with the nurse. To be completely honest, nurse Naminé was really gorgeous. Not only was she beautiful but she was kind and caring towards Kairi.

If I ever wanted Kairi to have a mom, nurse Naminé would be a very strong candidate.

"Daddy! I grew an inch from the last time I was at the doctor's!" Kairi beamed.

"Well, don't get too big Kairi or you won't fit in the car!" I joked.

"I won't get that big!" Kairi said with a laugh.

"Well Mr. Smith, from what I can see, Kairi is as healthy as a horse!" Naminé said.

"That's a relief. This little goof decided she would try and eat a slug. I just about had a heart attack." I said and put my hand on Kairi's head.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. Dr. Riku should be here soon and he'll confirm that for you." She said before leaving the room.

When nurse Naminé left the room I sat Kairi up on the patient's bed. The crackle of the paper over it was the only noise in the room.

"Kairi, didn't you think that nurse was really pretty? She was gorgeous!" I said with a smile.

Kairi nodded. "I like her hair."

I nodded and then there was silence. I looked at Kairi; she was looking around the room. She looked nervous again.

After a while she started to pick at the paper she was sitting on. The crackling was a little annoying but I let her do it anyway.

After another minute of silence I decided that I had had enough. "Hey, Kairi." I said.

My daughter looked at me with her large blue eyes.

"Semolina pilchard, climbing up the Eiffel Tower. Elementary penguin singing Hari Krishna…" I started to sing.

Kairi listened, a small smile forming on her face.

"Man, you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allan Poe. Sing it with me now Kairi!" I said and took her hands and started to dance.

"I am the eggman, they are the eggman…" I quickly let go of Kairi's hands to steal two tongue depressors. I stuck them under my lip and turned to Kairi with a goofy look on my face.

"I am the walrus! Goo goo g'joob! Goo goo g'joob!" I sang with those tongue depressors acting as my walrus tusks.

Kairi began to laugh at my antics so I turned it up a notch.

"One more time! I AM THE EGGMAN!" I pointed to Kairi.

"Eggman!" she squealed.

"THEY ARE THE EGGMAN!" I sang and pointed to her again.

"Eggman!" She laughed again.

I didn't notice the door open as I danced around and sung some more.

"I AM THE WALRUS! GOO GOO G'JOOB! GOO GOO G'JOOB! GOO GOO G'JOOB G'GOO GOO G'JOOB GOO GOO G'J-OH GOD THE DOCTOR'S HERE…" I immediately pulled the depressors from my mouth and hid them behind me.

Kairi was still laughing as the doctor stared at me with a weird look.

"Ummm… You must be Dr. Riku… Over there is Kairi, my daughter… and I… I'm embarrassed." I said with a blush.

I felt my blush deepen when the doctor started to laugh. "Well, that was unexpected. I'm just glad those tongue depressors were put to good use." Dr. Riku said with a chuckle.

I threw the used tongue depressors in the trash and laughed nervously. "Sorry about that…" I said.

"You don't have to apologize. That was probably the liveliest thing that's happened in weeks. Usually people are too nervous to have parties in the small rooms we put them in." He smiled at me.

"Well… I think it's mostly because no one wants to disturb the peaceful vibe this little clinic gives off." I said.

Dr. Riku chuckled again and turned to Kairi. "I'm Dr. Riku, and I am very happy to meet you." He said and smiled down on Kairi.

I was actually shocked when Kairi beamed back at him and spoke. "Nice to meet you!"

That has certainly never happened before.

Dr. Riku turned to me. "Naminé told me in advance that Kairi was a shy girl." He said.

I shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I'm pretty baffled myself. She just warmed right up to you. She didn't even do that with Dr. Strife." I said.

"You know Dr. Strife, Kairi?" Dr. Riku asked.

Kairi nodded. "I'm friends with his son, Zell."

"He's fun isn't he?" Dr. Riku asked.

Kairi laughed. "Yeah! He's my best friend at school!"

"That's good. Yeah, Cloud and I go way back to college and med school. We even did our residency together." Riku directed to me as he pulled out his stethoscope.

"That's cool. I'll have to tell him we met." I said with a smile.

I watched as Dr. Riku listened to Kairi's heartbeat, then check her eyes and ears. I smiled at all the questions Kairi asked and how easily Riku answered them all. It was like speaking to children was so easy, almost completely natural.

But I guess that's what happens when you spend most of your time with children with all different kinds of shapes and sizes.

After everything was checked over Dr. Riku turned to me. "Miss Kairi is a happy, healthy kid. Its days like these that make me really happy. Three healthy kids in a row so far." Dr. Riku said.

"Well to be honest the reason I brought her here is because she tried to eat a slug and I was worried that it might be dangerous. I mean what if it was poisonous or something. I've been freaking out about it all week." I said.

"Well, did the slug look like this one?" Dr. Riku looked into a cabinet and pulled out a printed picture of a slug.

"Yes! That's exactly what it looked like! Is that bad?" I asked.

"No, that slug was nothing but an unfortunate garden slug. Simply in the wrong place at the wrong time." Dr. Riku said.

It felt as though ten thousand pounds were just lifted from my shoulders. "I want to take this moment to thank you for the wave of relief that just washed over me." I said.

Dr. Riku let out a soft laugh. "You're very welcome. It's part of the job." He finished.

"See Kairi, I told you nothing was wrong! You were so worried." I said.

Kairi laughed. "That was YOU, daddy!"

I snorted and picked her up. "Are we all finished?" I asked.

"Yes, I believe we are. Take good care of your dad, Kairi." Dr. Riku said.

"I will!" she said with a smile.

"Goodbye!" Nurse Naminé said from down the hall.

"Bye." I said and left the clinic.

-Hello, Doctor-

Riku's POV

Naminé and I watched as the two cutest people I have ever met left the clinic. This was the first time I have ever wished that a patient would come back to the hospital.

Because if they came back, that would mean one of them was sick.

I hoped that maybe one day we would meet on better circumstances. Maybe then I could get closer to them in some way.

"I know what you're thinking, Riku. I've never met a sweeter father and child. It's good people like that that deserve good futures." Naminé said with a smile.

"They were so close, and Sora Smith has got to be the most loving father I have ever met in my entire life. And to be so young, I know he must be older but he doesn't even look a day over twenty." I said.

"He's twenty-one…" Larxene said from her spot at the desk. "It says here on his paperwork."

I walked behind the desk and took a look at the clipboard. "That means he must have had the child at sixteen!" I realized.

"I think it makes complete sense if you look at it that way. He must have knocked up his girlfriend in high school; the girlfriend probably left after having the kid. It's sad, but it makes sense because Mr. Smith showers his daughter with love. He must be trying to make up for the absent maternal unit." Larxene said as she cleaned her nails.

I shook my head at that. "That's a damn shame. What a stupid girl to miss out on such a great thing. Ooooh, it just burns me up! Mr. Smith must work his ass off to take care of his daughter. She's so well taken care of. To think she left such a devoted father… I could hit something!" I fumed.

"Riku calm down… there's nothing you can do about it." Larxene said and Naminé put a hand on my shoulder.

I took a breath. "Sorry, I don't know what came over me… I need to get back to work. Do I have anymore patients?" I asked.

"No, Kairi was your last patient." Naminé said. "To be completely honest Riku, I can understand your anger. Bad things like that shouldn't happen to good people. But all we can do to help is use them as examples for our own lives. And I hope to build a just as sweet a family with my fiancé in the future." She finished, her eyes sparkling.

I laughed. "You should worry about getting married first. The wedding is in two weeks isn't it?" I asked.

"Yes, and I couldn't be any happier." Naminé said.

"That's good." I said and turned when I heard Larxene making a gag noise.

Naminé flushed. "You're just jealous!" she yelped.

"Excuse me? I'm married already!" Larxene said and lifted her left hand to reveal her wedding ring.

Naminé huffed and walked off to do something. Larxene just laughed in her spot behind the desk.

"That was cruel and you know it Larxene." I said with a smile.

"Well, sometimes you just have to keep the younger one's in line you know. They act like the whole world is there's for the taking." Larxene explained.

"How is the husband by the way?" I asked.

"I think he's going through an early mid-life crisis. He dyed his hair pink last weekend. Personally, I think it's a nice color on him but I don't know what possessed him to do it. He said he needed control over his life and changing his hair was something he had complete control over. The guy's an idiot." Larxene said.

I laughed. "Tell him to give me a call when he's free. We need to go out for drinks."

"I sure will… I think Marluxia forgets that he actually has friends." Larxene said with a fond smile on her face.

"Well, I guess we can just clean up and go home then…" I said and started clearing some of the papers away from the desk.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **Sora: Hi! I'm doing this disclaimer today because our little author seems to be having delusions… she actually believes she owns Kingdom Hearts characters… so I put tape over her mouth to shut her up!

Me: MMMMM! MMMMHHMM! (Please! Help me!)

Sora: You silly little author… don't make me cut you with my keyblade!

Me: MMM MMMHHHMMMMM! (You're evil!)

Sora: Teehee!

ALRIGHT! So I got six reviews for the last chapter but I really, really want at least ten (is that too ambitious?) Anyway, have fun reading!

Chapter 2

I was cleaning isle three when I got a phone call. I put the broom and dustpan back in the closet before heading to the back to take my phone call.

"Sora Smith speaking." I said.

"Mr. Smith? This is Ms. Gainsborough, Kairi's kindergarten teacher, there's been an accident at school and we'd like it if you would come and pick Kairi up early." She said.

My heart skipped a beat. "What happened?" I asked.

"Why don't you come to the school so we can talk face to face. Kairi's had a rough day and it would be best if you took her home." The teacher said.

"I'll be right there!" I said and hung up the phone. What could have happened? I got out of the back room and found the manager. "Tifa, something happened at Kairi's school and I need to go get her. Can I please go? I'll be right back, I'll even work overtime tonight-"

"Go get her Sora. You're the hardest working employee I have, don't worry about it." She said and shooed me off.

"Thank you so much, manager." I said and ran to my car.

The school wasn't too far from work; it's about fifteen minutes away. But I was pretty sure I was only in the car for five minutes.

I took the stairs to the third floor and entered the office.

"D-daddy!" Kairi came running towards me with tears in her eyes. I kneeled down and pulled her into a hug.

"Baby, what's wro-" I paused when hand brushed the back of her neck.

There was supposed to be hair there.

I immediately turned her around and saw that a whole chunk of hair was missing from her head.

I could feel anger rise within me. "Who did this?" I demanded.

"Mr. Smith please calm down-"

"No! I will absolutely not calm down! Where were you when this happened?" I yelled angrily.

"Sir, I was helping another child cut out their picture." Ms. Gainsborough said.

I decided to ignore her and turned to Kairi. "Baby, can you tell me everything that happened?" I asked and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"We were in art class drawing pictures of our im-immediate families. And we were going to cut each of our family members out so that we could paste them all together on a banner. I finished mine earlier than everyone else…" she said.

I frowned. She finished hers early because she only had to draw one person.

"Rufus asked why I only had you on my paper and I told him that I didn't have a mommy… He… he laughed at me and called me crazy. I wanted to cry but you said that I shouldn't cry when people call me names and that I should ignore them. So I did and turned to help Zell cut out his picture of Cloud, then I felt him pull my hair and then it was gone! He cut my hair off and then he called me and Zell crazy for not having mommies! I started crying and then Zell pushed Rufus off his chair and called him stupid for making me sad." She said with a few hiccups here and there.

I picked her up and held her close. "Where is this Rufus kid?" I asked and found him in the corner of the room in a chair.

"Now Mr. Smith, I realize you're angry about your daughter 's hair but-"

"You think I'm angry about her hair? That isn't the problem, a hair cut can fix it. But I think this boy owes my daughter an apology and I'm certainly angry with the supervisors who let a five-year-old get this close to my Kairi's head and neck with a pair of scissors! This could have been avoided if there were more people paying attention." I said.

"So why do I need to pick up my son from school?" I heard Cloud's voice from behind me.

"From what I got in Kairi's story, Cloud. Zell was protecting my daughter from any more abuse. He pushed a kid off his seat." I said.

"What? I'm a very busy man and I don't have time to deal with petty fights. My son wouldn't push anyone without a good reason. What did this kid do?" Cloud asked.

"Well, the problem seemed to start when some kid named Rufus teased Kairi about not having a mom. Then he cut her hair and called your son names for the same reason. It seems he only fought back when Kairi started crying." I explained before the teachers could say anything.

Cloud sighed and walked over to his son. "Is that true Zell?"

The little boy nodded. "Rufus was bullying Kairi!"

"Thank you for protecting her. I think you did the right thing. But I need you to apologize to Rufus for pushing him." Cloud said.

The door opened for a third time.

"Mom!" The Rufus kid got up and ran to his mother. "That boy over there pushed me and called me stupid!" the boy cried.

"Well then I think that boy owes you an apology." She said and looked up to Cloud and I.

"Zell." Cloud said.

"I'm sorry for pushing you and calling you stupid." Zell said.

"Okay then, let's get going." The mother said and started to walk out the door.

"Excuse me! You're son owes my friend's son an apology and my daughter a huge apology. Your son was the instigator of this entire issue. He cut my daughter's hair and called Zell and Kairi names as well." I said, completely appalled by this mother's behavior.

"My son shouldn't have to apologize if your kids retaliated to his name calling." She said.

"WHAT?" Cloud and I said together.

"My daughter did nothing to your son, and Zell is not the only one who needs to apologize." I said.

"I can't believe I have to waste my time with this. Rufus apologize to the girl." The mother said.

"I'm sorry." Rufus said.

"We're leaving now." The mother said and left the room before I could say anything.

"The nerve of that woman! And she calls herself a mother!" I fumed.

"Sora, it's fine. You were the better person in this situation, Zell." Cloud said to his son.

"I don't even want his apology anyway. He didn't even mean it when he apologized to Kairi." Zell said.

I put Kairi down and walked over to Zell. "Thank you for standing up for my daughter. It means a lot to me, Zell." I said.

"I hate it when Kairi cries." Zell said.

"Me too, buddy." I said and patted his head.

"Thank you, Zell." Kairi said and hugged her friend.

"Even though Rufus cut your hair, I still think you're pretty." Zell said.

I chuckled when Kairi blushed and hid her face in my pant leg.

"It seems that my son inherited my charm." Cloud said.

I laughed. "I'm taking Kairi. I hope something like this doesn't repeat itself… " I said and took Kairi's hand.

"I guess I'll get home too. I'm glad this didn't happen any earlier than it did. I had literally just finished sewing an arm back on when I got the phone call." Cloud said.

"Wow! Is the person going to be okay, Dad?" Zell asked and giggled when Cloud put him on his shoulders.

"Oh yeah, I bet you that arm is going to work better than it did before. I'm not going to lie, that was a flawless surgery." Cloud said.

I chuckled at Cloud's boasting before something popped into my head. "Oh! Cloud, I met one of your colleagues on Sunday. Dr. Riku Uchida I think his name was…" I said.

"Oh yeah! The man is definitely my biggest rival, but he's also a great friend. I'm happy you two met. He actually watches Zell when I can't bring him to the hospital." Cloud said.

"Daddy…" Kairi tugged on the shirt I was wearing.

"Yes, Kairi?" I asked.

"Can Zell come play with us on Sunday?" she asked.

"That's up to Zell and his Dad. Are you free Sunday?" I asked.

"Yeah, we're free. Zell do you want to go on a play date with Kairi on Sunday?" Cloud asked the boy on his shoulders.

"Yeah!" Zell said.

"I'll give you a call about the details later then." I said.

"Alright, I'll see you later." Cloud said.

Kairi and I headed over to the car. "Baby, I'm going to work overtime today. I know you don't like having to sleep in the back but Daddy has to do this, okay? Then tomorrow we can see about your haircut." I said.

"I don't want anyone to laugh at my hair…" Kairi said softly.

I felt my heart break a little as I opened the car door. "Here, wait a sec." I said and moved to the trunk of the car. I smiled when I found that ridiculous hat I bought one winter.

It kind of reminded me of an elf hat. It had red and white stripes and a pompom at the end of it. It was a weird hat, but it would work on Kairi.

She pulls everything off.

"Here." I said and put it on her head. The thing almost swallowed her entire head but it covered the back of her head well so you couldn't tell her hair was missing. Kairi climbed into the car and I waited for her to put on her seatbelt before closing the door and getting into the driver's seat.

-Hello, Doctor-

When I returned to the convenience store called 'Quickie Mart,' I explained the situation to Tifa.

I was actually surprised by her reaction.

"I could give Kairi a haircut. I usually cut my little cousin's hair when she needs a haircut. You can trust me, I promise. She'll look so cute with short hair." Tifa said.

"Would you like Miss Tifa to give you a haircut, Kairi?" I asked my daughter.

"Yeah!" Kairi smiled.

"Okay kiddo, let's hang out in the back and start on this hair." Tifa said.

I watched them head to the back and I moved to the cash register and waited for customers.

After three hours and about ten or so customers, Kairi came running from the back with a huge smile on her face.

"Daddy do you like my hair?" She asked excitedly.

She hopped and giggled as she looked up at me. Her hair was longer in the front than it was in the back. But the hair in the front framed her face perfectly. Though her hair was really short, it was a great cut for her.

"Are you gonna miss your ponytails Kairi?" I asked.

"No! I can wear my hair down all day and I wont get hot!" she said with a laugh.

I smiled. "I think it's beautiful, babe. Thank you Tifa, it's great!" I said when I turned to her.

"I think she looks a little edgy now, don't you think?" she said with a smile.

"Oh yeah, Kairi is my big tough girl, yeah?" I looked to Kairi.

"Yeah!" she said.

"You want to help me work?" I asked.

"Okay." Kairi said and I picked her up and put on the part of the counter that can be seen by the customers from the window.

"Now, all you have to do is sit there and be cute. That way, you attract the customers." I said.

"Can I sing a song?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead." I said and waited to hear my daughter sing.

"_Been a long road to follow, been there and gone tomorrow, without saying goodbye to yesterday. Are the memories I hold still valid, or have the tears deluded them? Maybe this time tomorrow, the rain will cease to follow and the mist will fade into one more today. Something somewhere out there keeps calling. Am I going home? Will I hear someone singing solace to a silent moon? Zero gravity, what's it like_?" She sang.

I had no idea what song this was or where she had heard it. I wasn't even sure if Kairi even know what it meant. But it was beautiful.

"_Am I alone? Is somebody there beyond these heavy, aching feet? Still the road keeps on telling me to go on_…" Kairi continued.

I don't know what it was in that song, but I jumped at the feeling of my own tear falling down my face.

"_Something is calling me, I feel the gravity of it all_…" Kairi stopped and looked at me with a confused face.

"Are you okay, Daddy?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright. I'm sorry baby. You wanna keep singing?" I asked.

"Did you not like my song?" she asked.

"No, it was beautiful honey. But where did you learn that song?"

"I listened to it on Granma's ipod." She replied.

"Well, babe. That song is… well, it's kinda sad." I said.

"I can sing a different song?" she suggested.

"Yeah, why don't you sing a different one so Daddy doesn't cry in front of the customers."

Kairi laughed. "That would be funny!"

"No it wouldn't!" I countered before kissing her cheek.

I smiled when Kairi started to sing a different, more childlike and cheery song.

Having her sit on the counter did seem to bring more customers to the store. They would smile at Kairi and she would say hi or sing a song as they shopped.

I chuckled, I guess Kairi forgot about being shy around the adults in the store.

It was around 10:50 that Kairi started yawning. It was way past her bedtime.

"Kairi, why don't you go sleep in the back?" I asked.

"But I gotta…" yawn, "help you attract the customers…" she said drowsily.

"It's alright, you've helped plenty. Go to sleep love." I said.

"One more customer." She yawned again.

"Alright, then you need to sleep." I said and waited for the next customer.

The next customer came at 11:00. I was surprised to see Kairi sliding off the counter and running towards the door.

"Dr. Riku!" she called and I looked to see him smiling down at her.

"Do you like my haircut?" she asked.

Riku put a hand on her head and smiled. "Yes, I do. The cut goes very well with your cute little face." He said.

She blushed and giggled before running behind the counter to hide. She could be so bashful sometimes.

I snorted when suddenly Kairi sank to the floor. She had finally exhausted all of the energy she saved for the last customer. I bent down and picked her up. I could hear her tiny, little snores in my ear as I watched Riku gather up his purchases.

"Oh Kairi, you're getting a little heavy to carry with one arm." I said quietly into her ear before turning to Riku who was now at the register.

"I'm guessing you've done this before?" Dr. Riku said as I began to scan his purchases with one hand while holding Kairi with the other.

"Oh yeah, ever since I was confident enough to take her to work with me. That was when she turned one. So I have lots of experience in being a bed and a store clerk at the same time." I said with a smile.

I gave Dr. Riku a puzzled look when I noticed the contents he was buying.

"What's with all the caffeine?" I asked.

"We ran out of coffee at the clinic and we have to monitor this girl all night for the next couple of days. My brother is watching her now so I decided I would go restock." He said and he rubbed his temples.

"Sounds tough, how is the girl? Is she okay? If you have to watch her all night it must be kinda serious, right?" I asked hoping I wasn't being too nosy.

"She's on a new type of chemotherapy, she was one of the patients that decided to take the risk and test it. So far it's gone pretty well. We just have to make sure she doesn't have a relapse." He said.

"Wow, I wish the best of luck to you and your patient." I said with a smile.

Dr. Riku seemed to relax a little and smiled back at me. "I'm glad I ran into you and Kairi. You two are really like a breath of fresh air. I've never met such a devoted father… and you're just so cute." Dr. Riku said.

I was touched. Dr. Riku was being so friendly to Kairi and I. "Why thank you doctor. No on has ever said stuff like that to us, you're very kind. I'm glad Kairi and I can help you out a little. If you ever want to see us, I work here Monday through Friday." I said.

Dr. Riku gave me the money to pay for his items and I gave him his change. "Well then, I'll see you around." Dr. Riku said with a smile.

"Yeah, sure." I said and watched him leave. What a nice guy…

"Uhhh, I hate to break it to you Sora… but you're an idiot." Tifa said.

"Huh? Why? I might have just gotten you a regular customer!" I said in my defense.

"Sora, I probably shouldn't tell you this but I feel it's for your own good. Dr. Riku, or whatever his name is was definitely flirting with you. And of course, you're an airhead so you just egged him on like there was no tomorrow." Tifa said.

"No he wasn't!" I said incredulously.

"Oh, he was. What? You thought he was being really friendly? Wow… Sora you need to get out more." Tifa said.

I frowned. I refused to believe that Dr. Riku was… that kind of person. "He's a guy!" I yelped.

"There are men on this planet that prefer the company of other men you know." Tifa said.

"But that's just not right!" I said.

"I think you should learn to be a little more open minded, for Kairi's sake." Tifa replied.

I sighed and used my free hand to rub my eyes. Dr. Riku wasn't gay, he was just being friendly, that had to be it.

It had to be.

A/N: Hehe, my first attempt at having a story where Sora is straight ...or thinks he's straight. Please REVIEW my friends. I have a dream that one day I will have a story with 1000 reviews. Fire was close (less than 200 away), but I felt the story needed to end. So now I'm hoping either this one or Cantabile will make my dreams come true! DON'T LET MY DREAM DIE! I love you all and thanks for reading!

Press the fancy purple-ish button!


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **We all know the drill.

Yeah! You guys are awesome! I got like seventeen reviews for the last chapter! Let's keep this review train coming, I wont disappoint with updates guys… (I have up to chapter 24 already written! :D) I can't tell you how much I appreciate your words! It makes me so happy!

Chapter 3

As it turns out, Kairi's haircut was received well at school. When I came to pick Kairi up from school at the end of the day, she was practically bouncing off the walls with happiness. She told me that everyone in her class liked her new haircut… Even Rufus.

I was really happy to hear that. I went back to the Quickie Mart and thanked Tifa again for the wonderful job she did on Kairi's hair.

By the end of the day, Kairi was completely wiped out. Since I wasn't working over time, my shift ended at seven and Kairi had already been sleep for an hour. I moved to the back to see her sleeping on the cot Tifa had gotten just for her when I first started.

"She's just a little angel!" I heard Demyx whisper from the doorway when I scooped her up.

"Thanks. But let me tell you… angels are not easy to raise. Give your self at least a half a decade before thinking about kids." I told Demyx. Demyx was nineteen and he was working to pay tuition for music school.

He was a good kid and I admired his work ethic. "Have a good night, Dem." I said and left the back room.

"Yeah, you too." He said and I waved to Tifa before heading out of the store. When I opened my car door, a car pulled into the parking lot. I placed Kairi in the car and moved to my trunk to get the car seat. I always made sure that when Kairi was sleeping in the car, she was in the seat.

I pulled the seat out of the back and moved to put it in the back seat when I saw someone.

"Hey! Nurse Naminé!" I called.

The blonde turned but in the process almost fell over. I quickly moved over to her to see if she was okay. And that's when I noticed what she was wearing.

Her hair was down and she was wearing a black dress that was actually really short. It was also tight and form fitting. In other words…

She looked damn sexy.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that." She said with a smile.

"So, what brings you to the Quickie Mart?" I asked.

"My bachelorette party… we already went through all of the drinks that my girlfriends bought earlier. So they send me to buy more booze… that's crazy! My own bachelorette party and I have to buy more beer." Naminé said incredulously.

I inwardly swore at the fact that Naminé was taken. But I frowned at what she had said. "Wait… you're not drunk, are you?" I asked, concerned.

"Oh! No, I don't really like drinking that much but my friends do… hence why I'm buying the drinks and not anyone else." She said.

"You sure? You fell over just a second ago." I said.

"That's because of the six inch pumps. I don't know why women wear them, they only make it harder to escape." She laughed.

"Alright… just be careful. I gotta go… my daughter is actually in my car." I said and watched her enter the store after she waved goodbye.

Damn… she was hot.

I moved back to my car and put the car seat in before putting Kairi in it. I kissed her forehead and got into the car myself.

I pulled out of the parking lot and drove down the street. With a sigh I began a conversation. I knew Kairi was asleep but it always helped to talk to her. "Well Kai, to be honest… Naminé was out of my league. Though it seemed like she would have made an awesome mommy. She's getting married, so maybe she will be one someday. But I always wonder Kairi… aren't you kind of tired of not having a mom? Don't you want one? I kind of feel like I'm cheating you out of something when I fail at getting a girlfriend. So yeah, I'm sorry that I stink at being smooth and that my love life is basically nonexistent." I said.

"I don't need a mommy, Daddy. Every mommy I have ever met has been a mean one. I have you and that's all I want… well, if I really think about it… it would be kind of cool to have another daddy like you. " Kairi seemed to yawn out and I was surprised she was awake to hear me speak.

I laughed. "A normal child would not have said that… but then again you aren't a normal kid." I said.

"Yeah… two dad's would be awesome because then I'd have another person to put me on their shoulders when you have a back ache." Kairi laughed.

"That's because you work me like a pack mule, you're like slave driver! And a mommy can carry you too." I said.

"But it's not the same. Daddies have really big shoulders." Kairi said.

I sighed. "There's no way I can change your mind about moms, huh?" I asked.

"Nope! Mommies aren't needed." Kairi giggled.

"If you don't have a mommy you can't have a little sibling…" I said.

"But I have friends…" she said.

"You are a weirdo." I said.

"But I'm YOUR weirdo! And I'll be your only weirdo, forever!" Kairi said.

I smiled. "Yeah, Kairi. Just you and me…" I trailed off as I pulled into my apartment building parking lot.

I yawned, opened the door, and got out of the car. I waited for Kairi to get out before opening the gate. I smiled at our tiny garden Kairi and I started a year ago. The flowers were pretty and they were kind of the only color in the entire apartment.

I opened the sliding door and Kairi went inside. I entered the apartment and closed the door. I smiled when Kairi jumped at the wall to flip up the light switch to turn on the light.

When she finally succeeded in turning it on, I looked at the clock on the wall and smiled.

"Guess what Kairi-cat, you have just enough time for a bedtime story. So, what do you say? Would you like a bedtime story?" I asked.

"Yeah!" Kairi said.

"Okay! Last one to your bedroom is a dung beetle!" I said and started to walk quickly towards Kairi's room.

"The winner gets to eat it!" Kairi called back and I laughed.

"You get wittier by the day…" I said and opened her bedroom door. Kairi walked in and climbed into her bed. I helped her under the covers and tucked her in.

"I want to hear the story now, please." Kairi said.

"Okay. So once upon a time, there was a young prince. He loved learning and he begged his mother the Queen if he could go on a quest to see the world and learn new things. The Queen was reluctant, but finally decided that the Young Prince was strong enough to go on a quest without getting eaten by a monster. So the Young Prince set out on his quest. He wandered and observed, learning all sorts of things. And one day he met a beautiful Young Princess. This princess had long auburn hair and big brown eyes and a smile that could light up an entire forest! The Young Prince discovered that he and the Young Princess were on similar quests; he suggested to the princess that they join forces and discover the world together. The Young Princess agreed and after a while, they fell in love. But during one fateful night, the couple met a Magic Wizard. This wizard could see the love the prince and the princess had for each other and so he cast a spell. The next day, the Young Princess discovered that she had a magical baby growing inside her belly. The Young Prince, naïve as he was, was ecstatic to have a third comrade on their quest. But the Young Princess knew of the hardships that might come to the magical baby if she were to continue the quest. So she returned home. The Young Prince decided to continue the quest for the both of them, but would come back to the castle every once in a while to make sure that his princess and baby were alright. And one day, the magical baby was born… everyone in the castle was amazed by the beauty of the magical baby. But the Princess wanted to finish the Quest she had set out to do. So she left the magical baby with the Young Prince and continued her journey… but she never came back. So the Queen and the Young Prince raised the magical baby and they lived happily ever after." I finished the story with a smile.

"Do you think the princess was eaten by a monster?" Kairi asked.

"I don't know, baby… Go to sleep." I said.

"Goodnight… young prince…" She yawned, as her eyelids got heavy.

I smiled again. "Goodnight, magical baby." I kissed the top of her head and moved to the door. I switched off the light and closed the door behind me.

-Hello, Doctor-

It was six in the morning on Sunday. I wouldn't have to wake Kairi until another hour. I was kind of just lazing around in my bed doing nothing. And every Sunday morning when I wake up this early I always end up thinking the same thoughts.

Why the heck did I spend all that extra money buying such a big bed? I certainly don't need the space and at the end of the day… it's kind of lonely coming home to a huge, cold bed.

I've had a couple of girlfriends but they never last long… and most of the time it's not because of Kairi… actually it's never because of Kairi. It's usually because the only person I ever pay attention to is Kairi, the only person I ever talk about is Kairi, my entire world revolves around Kairi.

Just Kairi… and that kind of ostracized all of the girlfriends I ever had. And all the girls say the same thing before they leave.

"_You more interested in being a father than you are in being a boyfriend… and I don't blame you, but I need more than that." _

I sighed and got up. I moved to the bathroom and took a shower. I walked back to my bedroom and got dressed. After brushing my teeth and hair I moved to Kairi's bedroom to wake her up.

I smiled and moved over to my sleeping daughter. With a deep breath, I jumped onto Kairi's bed and on top of Kairi.

"I WONDER WHERE KAIRI WENT! WHERE DID KAIRI GO!" I yelled and shifted around the covers as if I was looking for her.

"Ughh! I'm under you…" I heard Kairi say from beneath me.

I gasped. "I hear my beloved daughter's voice, but I can't see her! Where is she?" I called, accidentally letting a giggle slip.

"I'm under you! You big, stinky doo-doo head!" Kairi yelled.

I laughed and got off of her. "You know, if I'm a big, stinky doo-doo head, that makes you a little, stinky doo-doo head." I said.

"Are Zell and Cloud still coming to play with us today?" Kairi asked.

"I believe so. He said he'd call me if something came up. You have to remember that Zell's daddy has a really important job." I said.

Kairi nodded and I picked her up. "Okay, time for a bath. You don't want Zell to think you smell like a doo-doo head." I said.

Kairi laughed and we moved to the bathroom. "Can I have bubbles in my bath?" she asked.

"Depends, can you ask nicely?" I asked.

"May I please have a bubble bath?" she asked again.

"Hmmmmm… okay! I'm gonna run the water. Do want to wear anything specific today?" I asked.

"The yellow dress I got from Granma." Kairi said.

"Ohhh, you wanna look pretty for your boyfriend Zell, huh?" I said and wiggled my eyebrows at her.

"Excuse me but, I'm always pretty!" Kairi boasted.

"Oh ho ho ho! Okay, I'm sorry. Somebody is a little narcissistic this morning…" I said.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"Well, when someone is narcissistic, they are really proud of how they look… to the point of snobbery." I said as I poured the bubble soap into the water.

"I'm no snob!" Kairi said sounding extremely affronted.

"I know babe, I was only playing with you. But are you sure you want to wear a dress? We're going to the park to play after lunch." I said.

"What if I wear shorts under it?" I asked.

"That'll work. Okay, bath's ready. Get in!" I said.

After about twenty minutes of washing, I made sure Kairi was completely clean before getting her a towel.

"You know Kairi, I'm kind of hungry." I said as Kairi stepped out of the tub and I wrapped the towel around her.

"Then eat something." Kairi said.

"Then, I'm going to eat this delicious Kairi burrito right here." I said and whisked her up and into my arms and pretended to bite her ear off. "I think you need hot sauce." I said with a giggle.

"I'm not a burrito!" Kairi yelped.

"You're not? You look and taste just like one!" I said with a gasp and put her down on her bed and moved over to her drawers. I grabbed a pair of underwear and a pair of white shorts. "Here you go." I said and threw them over to her. "Put those on, I have to iron your dress." I said.

I grabbed the dress and moved to my bedroom where the ironing board was. I plugged in the iron and waited for it to heat up. After a couple of minutes, I started ironing the yellow material so that there were no wrinkles.

I was half way through the dress when the phone rang. I moved over to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hey Sora?" It was Cloud.

"Hey Cloud, what's up?" I asked.

"I was looking forward to today but I can't go; one of my patients woke from her year-long coma and I have to run tests on her. Riku is watching Zell for me because his brother's working the clinic this weekend. I could give you his number if you wanna see if he's willing to hang with you." Cloud said.

"I'll take his number, he seems like a cool guy." I said.

I listened and jotted down Riku's number before hanging up the phone. I finished the dress and moved back to Kairi's room. I helped her put on the dress before speaking.

"So it turns out, Cloud had an unexpected job to do and can't come. However, Dr. Riku is watching Zell and I was going to call and see if he and Zell are willing to hang with us… is that okay?" I asked.

"Okay!" Kairi said excitedly.

I smiled and moved back to my room to make a phone call. I dialed the number and waited for someone to pick up.

"Uchida speaking."

"Umm, Dr. Riku? Hi, this is Sora Smith and I was calling about a play date that Cloud and I had set up earlier in the week. It was originally going to be the four of us but Cloud can't come because he had work to do… so I was wondering if you and Zell would like to hang with us?" I said… I felt a little awkward asking him this…

"Yeah, I was wondering what that was about. Zell kept asking me if we were still going to play with Kairi. Now it makes sense. Yeah, sure we'd love to come and see you." The doctor said.

"Okay cool. I was thinking we could go to lunch? I know a really cute family restaurant. And then afterward we could take them to the playground… usually the crowd is gone by two." I said.

"That sounds great. When did you want to have lunch? At noon or later?" Dr. Riku asked.

"Where are you right now? Are you at Cloud's?" I asked.

"Yeah, Zell and I are watching his big screen TV right now… lucky bastard…" Dr. Riku said.

I chuckled. "Well, Kairi and I will meet you at Cloud's around noon and we can all go together in one car." I said.

"Good plan. I'll see you soon then?" Riku asked.

"Yes you will. See you later Dr. Riku." I said.

"You can call me Riku… though I like my title, it get's a little annoying after a while." Riku chuckled through the phone.

"Okie dokie. See you at noon Riku." I said.

"See ya." He said before hanging up.

A/N: Yay! A play date with Riku! Aren't you guys excited!

Anyway, I think it's great that a lot of you enjoy the fact that Sora's not a sugar-loving dope that he sometimes is portrayed to be in Fanfiction… and I'm also really happy that you guys like Sora and Kairi's relationship. I was a little nervous at first about that. But you have to admit… the fluffiness cannot be stopped! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and let me know what you think in a review! I got nine hundred and seventy something more reviews to go! Haha! XD


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **You guys should know by now… And so we're all clear, any Company Owned/Brand Name products that are in this story are not mine and belong to their respective owners.

Seventeen reviews last chapter! And they were all really great (is it weird that I like reading reviews better than reading fanfiction?) WOOT! LETS GO FOR TWENTY!

Chapter 4

It was a few minutes after twelve when we finally arrived at Cloud's house. I got out of the car and opened the door for Kairi. I watched her climb out of the car and then dust herself off before moving towards the door.

I smiled at her and followed. I reached for the doorbell but paused when I heard Kairi ask if she could ring it. I shrugged and lifted her up to press the glowing, circular button on the right of the door.

When I put her down the door opened to reveal a smiling Zell and Riku.

"Hey, Kairi and Sora. How are you?" Riku asked.

"Hey, Zell!" Kairi said and moved to barrel into the house. I quickly grabbed her by the back of her dress. "Slow your roll. Kairi, Riku just asked us how we were. Don't you think it would be polite if we answered his question?" I asked.

Kairi blushed and looked up the Riku. "Hello Dr. Riku, me and daddy are happy to be here." Kairi said and started to enter the home again.

I stopped her for a second time. "I don't think it's very polite to enter someone's house before asking to come in." I said.

Kairi sighed exasperatedly. "Zell, can I _please _enter your house?" Kairi asked.

"Sure! We were watching TV, c'mon!" Zell said and I finally let her go play with her friend.

Riku chuckled as he watched the kids move to the living room. "She's one spunky kid." He said.

"Oh yeah, but that's exactly how I was when I was younger so…" I trailed off before speaking again. "This morning she insisted on wearing that dress. Sometimes it's hard to say no to her for the sake of not breaking her spirit." I said.

"She wanted to look nice for her play date today. And she looks great." Riku said with a smile. "She's a beautiful girl."

"Yeah she is… but those aren't my genes. Besides the eyes, everything that's on the outside is from momma." I said and moved over to the kitchen. It was an open kitchen area so I could still see Zell and Kairi giggling at the cartoon on the TV.

"It's funny that you say that. I look at her and it's like a mini-Sora in front of me. I mean, she is her father's daughter." Riku said with a smile.

I returned the smile and nodded. "She sure is… but she's perfected the art of being like her daddy, to the point where she can get whatever she wants. And she knows it too." I laughed.

"Well, I don't know about you Sora, but I am starving. What do you say we wrangle up the kids and get some grub?" Riku asked.

I smiled. "Sounds like a plan. Kairi and Zell, are you hungry?" I asked in an overly excited manner.

"Yeah!" They said together seeming to feed off of my enthusiasm.

"We let's get a move on! A play date isn't really a play date unless you go out to eat." I said and we moved to the front door.

"Let's take my car." Riku said and stepped outside. I followed behind him and that's when I noticed his car.

"Dude, can we trade cars?" I asked and scurried over to take a closer look. "How did you get the latest model of the Audi Q7 so soon?" I asked.

"It was a favor from the company director… his son was sick with a really rare disease and I was the only doctor that caught on to it. I cured him and when I said I was looking for a car he hooked me up." Riku said with a smile.

"And you said Cloud was a lucky bastard?" I said with suspicious look.

Riku laughed. "Yeah, that was a little hypocritical."

"Dr. Riku? Are we gonna get in the car?" Kairi asked.

Riku nodded. "Yeah sorry about that. I'll let you get in." Riku said and opened the car. I moved over and picked up Zell to place him into the car. I smiled at the smell of leather upholstery.

"I've always liked Audis. They're showy enough to be luxury cars but they are still efficient and hard working. And the ride is really smooth." I said as I got into the passenger seat.

"Yeah, that's basically the same reason I like this car. Seatbelts guys." Riku said before starting the car.

I directed Riku to the family restaurant and when we pulled into the parking lot, I turned back to the kids and smiled. "It's food time!" I said.

"Can Zell and I order from the grown-ups menu?" Kairi asked.

"I don't know Kairi-cat… there's a lot of food. You might be able to eat it all if you share." I said.

"Zell and I can share! Can't we Zell? Please!" Kairi turned to her friend and asked.

Zell shrugged. "Okay."

"Yay! Let's go!" Kairi exclaimed and walked over to Riku after I pulled her out of the car.

I helped Zell get out of the car as well. "You don't have to share with her if you don't want to Zell. Kairi doesn't hold grudges." I said.

"No, I want to. I like it when Kairi smiles." Zell said.

I ruffled Zell's hair and smiled. "Me to, buddy. I think you and I are just a couple of Kairi enthusiasts." I said and we entered the restaurant.

The restaurant wasn't crowded so we were seated immediately. We ordered our drinks and I moved to help Zell and Kairi pick an order.

"Do you guys want a burger? Personally I think something like pasta would be easier to share." I said and pointed to that area of the menu.

"Kairi let's get this one!" Zell said and pointed to the ravioli.

"That looks yummy." Kairi said when she looked at the picture on the menu.

I smiled. "That was easier than I thought it would be." I said and moved back to my seat.

"They are so adorable. They're like a mini-married couple." Riku said with a chuckle.

I laughed. "I was tempted at one point to start calling Cloud my brother-in-law. Those two are basically attached at the hip."

"You don't really find many friendships like that as adults." Riku said.

"Yeah… it's a shame." I said and took a sip of my coke.

"Can I ask a question?" Riku asked.

"Sure, shoot." I said and looked at him.

"I don't mean this in a rude way but… How exactly can you take care of Kairi so well? I saw that you worked at the convenience store but does that really cover everything?" Riku asked.

I wasn't really offended by the question… quite frankly it was a question a lot of people probably wonder about when they meet Kairi and I. "Well, I work on the weekend too… except for Sunday. I work overtime a lot and I have to be really careful about my expenses. And then I have a lot of emotional support from my friends, family, and even my employers. But everything I ever do is for Kairi and that makes it worth while." I smiled at him and played with the straw in my drink.

"What do you do on Saturdays?" Riku asked.

I blushed. I actually am really embarrassed about my Saturday job at Chuck E. Cheese. I mean, who would be proud of dressing up as a giant rat-creature and chase after children all day regardless of the fact that half of the kids, think you're scary as hell. "I work at Chuck E. Cheese…" I trailed.

"Doing what?" Riku asked a smile on his face seemed to grow as if he knew that my next answer would be embarrassing.

I blushed redder. "Well… I'm really good at impersonating voices and stuff…" I mumbled.

"Oh really?" he asked seemingly curious.

"Yeah, and because of that I get to wear the costumes and talk to the kids in different voices." I said softly and looked away from him.

Riku laughed. "So you get to scare the living crap out of kids every Saturday… sounds fun."

I scoffed. "You know, that job takes real skill!" I said and took his drink from him.

"Excuse me, give me my drink back." Riku said.

"No. Since your going to bully me like a kid Kairi's age. I will treat you like a kid Kairi's age. You are officially in time out and you do not get your drink until the food comes." I said.

"Okay, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. In fact, I would love to hear these great impersonations." Riku said.

"No, you have to repent." I said.

"Sora… give me my drink." Riku said in a serious voice.

"You'll get your drink back when the food comes." I said.

"Sora." He said again.

"I'm not giving it back." I said and jumped when I suddenly felt Riku reach over me to get his drink.

I grabbed it before he could reach it and I pulled it away from him.

"Sora! Give it!" Riku growled.

"Nope. You won't get it until later." I said and almost fell from my chair trying to keep the drink out of Riku's hands. I was about to drink it all so that Riku wouldn't get it back but I paused when I heard the kids laughing.

"Dr. Riku and Daddy are fighting like little kids! Isn't it funny, Zell?" Kairi giggled out.

"Yeah, I've never seen Riku act so silly before!" Zell said.

I cleared my throat and handed Riku's drink back to him. "Sorry…" I said quietly.

"Sorry…" he replied in the same manner and we sat quietly until our food came.

After about a minute into eating, I turned to see Riku laughing over his food.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Y-yeah, It's just… I can't believe I really fought with you over a drink. That was probably the most ridiculous thing I have ever done since I was twelve." Riku said through his laughter.

"I guess it is kind of funny… I mean, my kid had to knock some sense into me." I laughed.

Our laughs turned into to small chuckles before fading. I took a bite of my food before finally remembering something.

"By the way, how is your patient? You know, the one you told me about at the convenience store, the one who was on the new chemo?" I asked.

"Oh… well, she's definitely doing well on the chemo, better than we expected. There was a really high risk that she could die, but she pulled through. We check tomorrow to see if her tumors have cleared or receded." Riku answered.

"That's good. It's funny that I've been worrying about a little girl that I don't even know. But I'm really happy things are going well. I was rooting for her." I said and continued to eat.

"You really are the sweetest person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting." Riku said.

I smiled. "Thanks man, but there's no need to get all mushy on me!"

It was about thirty or forty minutes later that we were all finished eating. I leaned back in my chair and sighed happily. My food had really hit the spot and there was nothing better than the feeling of satisfaction you get when you eat with friends and family.

"Excuse me, we'll have the check." Riku called to the waiter.

The waiter returned a minute later and I took the check from him. I pulled out a fifty dollar bill and was about to stick it in the wallet when I noticed two twenties were already in there.

"Ummm? It's okay… I got this." I said and handed Riku his money back.

"Are you kidding me? My money was in there first, it's on me." Riku said and grabbed the check to put him money back in it.

"I invited you to this so I'm going to pay for the food, got it?" I said in a firm tone.

"Because you were nice enough to invite me, I feel like I should pay for the food. It's no biggie, Sora. I'm a doctor that lives alone, I don't have any other reason to spend my money… and believe me I make enough money, so don't worry about it." Riku said and closed the check wallet.

With a growl, I snatched the wallet back and took out his money. I placed the bills on the table and put my fifty in the wallet. "I'm perfectly capable of paying for the food, Riku. So let me!" I said.

"I'm not saying that you aren't capable of paying, Sora. I just…" Riku snatched the wallet back, "want to pay to show my gratitude." Riku said.

"Give me the darn check!" I yelled.

"Sora calm down, look." Riku handed a twenty to Kairi and a twenty to Zell. They took it happily.

"I'm rich!" Zell said.

"Me too!" Kairi giggled.

"Can you two please pay for the food?" Riku said.

"Sure!" The kids said together and slid their twenties into the check wallet.

"See, now the kids paid for it… but if you'd like to fork in a tip that would be great." Riku said with a smile.

I grumbled but put my fifty back in my wallet and pulled out a ten. I placed it on the table. "You're really, really lucky I thought that was cute." I said.

Riku laughed. "I figured… that's why I did it. But think of it as a commemoration of our friendship."

"Yeah, yeah." I said and waved him off.

"Now I'm poor." Kairi said with a sigh.

"It's okay Kairi, we'll be poor together!" Zell said.

"Who cares about being poor? Let's go to the playground!" I said.

"Yeah!" They yelled simultaneously forgetting about the fact that the money they were given was quickly expended.

-Hello, Doctor-

We all got out of the car when we arrived at the playground. Most of the other kids left and so there were maybe two or three other kids still there. I watched Zell and Kairi run over to the play structure.

Riku and I moved over to the bench and sat. I was about to start up a conversation when I noticed something.

"Kairi! Tie your shoe please!" I called from my seat.

"Okay." Kairi yelled back and continued to play.

"So, I saw your nurse Naminé at the convenience store. Turns out she was buying booze for her bachelorette party… I can't believe she's getting married… no actually I can because she's so pretty but it took me by surprise." I said.

"Oh yeah, it took me by surprise to. My brother walks up to me after a surgery and springs it on me. I didn't even know they were dating…" Riku said.

"She's getting married to your brother?" I asked.

"Yeah, she seems to like the quiet and dedicated type… because that's my brother in a nutshell. A lot of girls seem to like that type lately." Riku said.

"You really think so?" I asked.

"Yeah, I hear it a lot from girls because I'm gay. They seem to think that I'm interested in the types of dudes they're interested in…" Riku said.

I blushed. "Wait… you're gay?" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah, is that a problem?" he asked.

"W-well… no but I've never met a gay person and known that they're gay. It's weird…" I said and scratched the back of my head.

"That's understandable I guess." Riku said.

"Aren't you uncomfortable about telling people? I mean, aren't you nervous about telling the wrong person?" I asked.

"Well, I'm one hundred percent comfortable with who I am… and it's really not any different from telling someone you like women." Riku said.

My eyes widened. "Oh shit… that was really dickish of me. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that… I just feel like if I was in your position I wouldn't want to tell anyone… and not because being gay is wrong… just because you never know what a person will do when you tell them." I said.

Personally, I really didn't think that being gay was normal or right… but I couldn't hate someone for loving a person, be it male or female. And to be honest… I think about Kairi and I know she would never shun someone because they were different. Kairi would learn to understand that person.

And Kairi was someone I looked up to everyday. She could bring happiness to anyone.

"Well it really depends on how you look at it you know… it's something you have to accept and it's only after that that you feel the need to tell others. Homosexuals that don't tell others about their sexuality are either unsure about it, or prefer privacy." Riku said.

I was about to speak again when I caught Kairi going down the slide, shoe still untied. "Kairi please tie your shoe, this is the second time I'm telling you." I said.

"I will!" Kairi said and ignored me again.

I sighed and decided to turn back to Riku. "I'm really sorry if I'm coming off as rude… I just want to try and understand you more. You know, because we're friends." I said.

"I get it, you're curious and it's a nice gesture I guess. Not many people would try and understand. But there's really not too much to understand. There are a few differences, but the outline of it all is basically like a heterosexual couple." Riku said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Well, it depends on the person. If I dated a gay man who had a lot of feminine qualities, I'll probably have the same experiences as I would if I were dating a girl. And even the same problems too. But if I dated a regular dude who just happens to be gay… I won't have any of those problems or experiences at all. In fact, I might have a whole new set of problems. Because usually those types of relationships turn out to be a little bumpy… they're a lot like a sex friendships. But like any type of relationship, homo or hetero, the five C's are needed for it to work." Riku said.

"The five C's?" I asked.

"Yeah… They are Communication, Company, Comfort, Compromise, and Confidence. I find that without these relationships go flat. Believe me, I know… I've talked with enough girls to know it." Riku said.

"That's interesti-KAIRI!" I yelled and ran towards the play structure the second I saw her falling.

I wasn't quick enough to catch her before she hit the ground. My heart stopped for fear that she was really hurt. I moved up to her as she began to cry.

As much as I hated yelling at her… I had to do it. "Kairi, I told you TWICE to tie your shoes so that something like this wouldn't happen. The next time I tell you to do something, you DO IT! Do you understand me Kairi Jane Smith?" I asserted firmly.

Kairi nodded and wiped at her eyes.

"Now let me get a look at you to see the damage. Can you tell me what hurts?" I asked.

"My elbows and my…" Kairi paused as she cried and I gave her a confused look.

"What's the matter baby?" I asked.

Kairi motioned for me to come closer and I leaned in. I almost smiled when she whispered that her bottom was in pain.

"I have first aid. How bad is she?" Riku asked and kneeled down next to me.

"Is Kairi gonna be okay?" Zell asked

"Yeah, she's gonna be fine. She says that her elbow and her-"

"DON'T TELL HIM!" Kairi yelled as she cried.

"You don't have to tell me, I understand." Riku said and held out his hand. "Can you stand Kairi?" he asked.

Kairi nodded and Riku pulled her on her feet. "Well, that clears a broken tail bone." Riku felt around Kairi's arms and I was relieved when he told me that her arms were fine.

"Wow Kai, you fell from that high and you have no broken bones? I know if I fell from there I'd probably break a hip." I said.

Kairi and Zell laughed.

"Why is that funny?" I asked genuinely curious as to why my own daughter would laugh at that.

"Well, if you're twenty-one and you're saying you'll break a hip… what will happen to a twenty-six year old like myself?" Riku asked.

"Well, you're the doctor. You tell me." I said with a smile.

Riku laughed before turning to Kairi and Zell.

"Did your father teach you how to properly put on a band-aid?" Riku asked Zell.

Zell thought for a second and shook his head… "He taught me how to give stitches,…" he said.

Riku laughed. "Alright, I was going to get him for not teaching you this but I guess he wins again. That man is always one upping me."

"But I want to learn about the band-aid." Zell said.

"Okay, I'll demonstrate and then you follow, okay" Riku said.

I watched carefully as Riku showed Zell how to apply the disinfectant and put on the band-aid. Kairi seemed to like the attention.

"And finally, Zell you have to kiss your patient better." Riku said.

"NAH ANH!" Zell denied with a big shake of the head.

"Uh huh, yes you do. Look Kairi is still sad, aren't you Kairi?" Riku asked.

"Zell doesn't have to kiss me better if he doesn't want to." Kairi said and stood up. "Daddy will kiss me better." Kairi was about to walk over to me when Zell took her arm and kissed her on the cheek.

"D'awwwww! Isn't that so cute!" Riku said to me.

I smiled and nodded. It was a very heartwarming thing to see. They really were how Riku put it, a mini-married couple.

"Are you all better, Kairi? You still want to go play?" I asked.

"Yeah… but I want to tie my shoe first." Kairi said and moved to tie her shoe.

I put a hand on her head. "Good girl."

The rest of the day was accident free and I was a little sad when the day finally ended. We all said our goodbyes at Cloud's house. And Kairi and I made our way home.

"You know daddy, I think we should do this again… with Dr. Riku. Even though you two fought a lot at the restaurant… you looked like you were really having fun." Kairi said with a yawn as I laid her in her bed to sleep.

What she had said took me aback a little but I brushed it off. "Maybe next time, we can have Cloud come too." I said.

"Yeah…"Kairi said before she drifted off.

I turned off her lights and closed the door quietly.

A/N: And thus ends our play date… but don't worry there is still more to come! :D

I'm shooting for 20 guys, we can do this! REVIEW!


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **It's disclaimed. Again all brand named, company owned products or facilities that show up in this story are not mine either…

Oh my goodness! I had like sixteen reviews within the day that I updated and then it was like torture to have to wait a day and a half for the last four… but I did reach twenty and that's what counts! Thanks so much everyone! Keep it up! Let's go for twenty again! :D Enjoy the LONG chappie!

Chapter 5

After five long days of working at the convenience store, I was always reminded that I would have yet another long day working at Chuck E. Cheese. It was a disappointing thought that came to me every Friday at 9:00.

Personally, I was really proud of my job at Chuck E. Cheese. But that didn't mean that I wasn't also embarrassed by it. What I mean is, there were good days and there were bad days.

A good day consisted of smiles and laughing and even pictures.

A bad day meant that I had successfully scared the living crap out of every kid that I approached. And believe me, that happened a good percent of the time.

Kairi also took pride in my job. She really loved meeting the kids who had their parties there and she enjoyed telling them that her dad was the one and only Chuck from Chuck E. Cheese.

That also made the job easier and more bearable.

Luckily today, I got to chill behind the prizes counter and help kids pick out the prizes they want. It was only until there was a birthday party that I had to get dressed into my alter ego, Chuck.

I looked to the left of me and smiled when my friend Yuffie was counting tickets. I moved over to the counter and asked the kid whether or not he wanted something in particular.

"I really want the glow in the dark slinky!" The little boy said.

"Well…" I trailed off to check the amount of tickets he had, "with the amount of tickets you have, you can actually get two of them!" I said with a smile.

"Really?" The boy asked excitedly.

"Yep!" Yuffie and I said together.

"Awesome!" he said.

I opened the cabinet and grabbed the two slinkies before handing them to the kid. "There you go!" I said.

"Thank you!" The boy said before moving off to play.

"Daddy! I got like a hundred tickets!" I heard my daughter call and I had to look around before I finally spotted her moving towards the counter.

"That's great, baby! Do you want to get a prize now?" I asked.

"Yeah! I want the Chuck disco ball!" Kairi said excitedly.

I frowned. She didn't mean the disco ball that was worth five thousand tickets? "Kai, do you mean the one up there?" I asked and pointed to the one on the second highest shelf.

"Yeah! Can I have it now, Daddy?" Kairi asked.

I leaned over the counter so that she could see me clearly as I spoke. "Kairi, you have a lot of tickets and I'm really proud of you for earning them all, but you still don't have enough tickets to get the disco ball." I said.

"How much more do I need to get it?" Kairi asked.

"A lot, Kairi." I said.

Kairi frowned. "But I tried my hardest this time…" Kairi's eyes started to water and I felt my heart clench.

"Kairi, there's this big word and it's called perseverance. Do you know what that means?" I asked.

Kairi shook her head with a teary-eyed pout.

"When a person perseveres, they always try their hardest and don't stop until they get what they want." I said.

Kairi nodded and Yuffie pushed me over a little so that she could talk to her.

"What your dad it trying to say is, perseverance means never giving up. If you want that disco ball, you have to persevere." Yuffie explained.

"How do I do that?" Kairi asked.

"You don't have to pick a prize today, Kai. You can save those tickets so that when Saturday comes, you'll already have a whole days worth of tickets." I said.

"If you keep saving your tickets over and over, eventually you'll have enough to get the disco ball. Get it?" Yuffie asked.

Kairi smiled. "I get it. It's like when Daddy puts money in the bank."

"Exactly, Kairi! See, I may not have enough money to pay for your college funds now, but if I keep saving up and persevering, when you are finally old enough for college, I'll have enough money to send you there!" I said.

"What's college?" Kairi asked.

I smiled. "It's a level of school that I never got to experience. That's why it's really important that you go when you're old enough."

"I like school!" Kairi said.

"That's something I never thought I'd hear a child say." Yuffie said with a smile.

"It's almost time for me to get ready for the party. Why don't I take your tickets and put them somewhere safe?" I asked.

"Okay!" Kairi said and handed me her bundles of tickets.

I put her tickets in a safe box and moved from behind the counter. "Thanks for the help, Yuffie. You should help me explain things more often." I said with a smile.

"Kairi's too cute to have such a sad pout on her face. I want her to smile all of the time." Yuffie said.

My smile became wider. "You are the best, Yuffie!" I said before moving to the back of the stage to get dressed into my costume. I could see kids already sitting at the tables, eating pizza and waiting for the party to begin.

I got dressed and moved out to see when they wanted me to begin. The kids seemed to be getting rowdy; I looked to see Yuffie give me the signal to start.

I stepped onto the stage and waved. "Hey everybody! I'm Chuck. Welcome to my home, Chuck E. Cheese! I hear there are two birthday kids today!" I said in my Chuck voice.

"Yeah!" the kids yelled.

"Well why don't Alex and Leila come up here on the stage so we can all sing Happy Birthday!" I said.

The two kids stood and I waved them over. I was happy they were a little older. They wouldn't be scared of me.

They got on the stage and I moved over so that they could be center stage. "Ready, one two three!" I said and we all sang Happy Birthday.

"You guys are awesome! Everyone can now head over to the counter where my friend Yuffie will give you your tokens! I'll be around here for a while if you guys want to hang with me." I said and got off the stage.

"You two have a good time, okay? If you need anything, you can just come and tell me and I'll see what I can do." I said.

"Okay, thanks!" The kids said and ran off the stage to go get their tokens.

I walked off the stage and smiled when Kairi walked up to me. "Dad, are you going to stay in the Chuck costume?" She asked.

"Yep!" I continued in my Chuck voice.

"Cool, then you should come meet the friend I made!" she said and started to pull me over to a table.

"This is my new friend, Liam. Liam, this is Chuck!" Kairi said.

"Hey there, Liam! How are you today? Are you having a good time?" I asked.

"Yeah, I like it here. Since you're Kairi's friend, can I be your friend too?" Liam asked.

"Sure!" I said and raised my hand for a high five. Liam returned the high five.

After a nice talk with Kairi and Liam, I was pulled away by the parents for pictures. I liked taking pictures with the kids because I like the idea of being a part of someone's good memories.

When a parent came up to me she smiled and asked if I would take a picture with her 18-month-old baby. I was really happy to do it. I nodded and smiled, though she couldn't see it through my costume.

This woman, for some reason, looked really familiar. She handed me her little girl and I smiled. The baby reminded me of Kairi when she was a baby.

There was a chorus of 'awws' when the baby started to cry. It was understandable. I mean, if my mother was handing me over to a large rat, I'd freak out too.

"Don't cry baby, your mommy's right here. See?" I said in a soft Chuck voice. I rocked slowly in an attempt to calm the crying child.

The little girl started to quiet when she realized there was no reason for alarm. I discovered that most babies cry when held by strangers because they can sense the nervousness of both parties in this sort of situation.

A mother is nervous because she is relinquishing her child to someone she doesn't know. And the stranger is nervous because they are sure the baby is going to cry when he or she holds the child.

After being surrounded by all that tension, the baby senses that something might be wrong and begins to cry. So I try my hardest to ease that tension by calmly receiving the baby.

"Wow, you must be really good with kids. I was really afraid she was going to start screaming." The woman said.

"Well, I have a five year old so I've been in the same situation many times." I said still using the Chuck voice.

We took a couple of pictures and by the end of that, I had a whole line of people for pictures. It's a little tiring but I like doing it. Getting to meet good people and their kids makes me happy.

When the pictures were finished, I needed to get out of the freaking costume. Not only was my voice a little tired, but that suit was really hot after being in it for an hour.

I moved to the back and changed out of my suit. I pinned my hair up so that I wouldn't have sweaty hair in my face and splashed some water on my face so that I could cool off faster.

I left the back and smiled when Kairi ran up to me. "Yuffie got some pizza for us!" she said with a smile.

"Good, I'm starving." I said and sat at the table Kairi led me to.

"I wanted to sit next to Liam." Kairi said as we sat next to his family, which happened to be the familiar woman and baby I had met earlier.

"So you are Chuck?" the woman asked.

"Yes I am!" I said in my cheery Chuck voice.

"I didn't really introduce myself earlier, my name is Xion. My oldest daughter is Leila and my second oldest son is Liam and you met Lexi earlier." Xion said.

"My name is Sora Smith, this is my daughter Kairi. I know this sounds strange, but you look so familiar. Have we met before?" I asked.

Xion smiled. "I've actually heard a lot about you from my brother, Riku. He told me you worked at Chuck E. Cheese, but I didn't really put two and two together until now." She said.

"Yeah! You and your brother have the same aura. Now it all makes sense." I said with a smile.

Xion smiled in return. "We actually get that a lot. Riku is supposed to be here… I guess something came up." Xion said.

As if on queue, I spotted Riku moving towards us. But I frowned at the sight of his face.

He was sporting a huge shiner on his eye.

"Oh my gosh, what happened to you?" Xion asked in alarm.

"I'm sorry I'm late…" he said completely ignoring the question.

"Well, are you okay?" I asked, hoping he'd at least answer that question.

"I'm fine, I already said hi to the birthday girl. She's gotten bigger from the last time I saw her. How are you, Liam?" Riku asked.

"I made a new friend! Her name is Kairi." Liam said with a smile.

"I know Kairi, she's my friend too!" Riku said and returned the smile.

"Did you get in a fight Dr. Riku?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah… I know fighting is bad but sometimes even grown-ups can't control themselves." He said.

"Well did you win? A fight is meaningless if you lose." Kairi said in a haughty voice.

"Kairi!" I yelled, completely shocked by what she had said.

Riku laughed and patted her and Liam on the head. "Yeah, I won. My opponent had two of these." He said and pointed to his black eye.

"Riku, I don't want you condoning fighting. Especially in front of the kids." Xion said with a disapproving look.

"You're mother is right. Even if I did win, fighting should never be the answer to anyone's problems." Riku said and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill from his wallet.

"Why don't you guys get some more tokens and play. Okay?" Riku asked.

"Okay!" the kids cheered and moved over to the gaming area of the center.

"Riku… what happened to you?" Xion asked again and he shrugged.

"I got in a fight." He said simply and took a piece of pizza from off the table.

"With whom?" Xion asked.

"Xion, it's none of your business. Leave it the fuck alone." Riku said and I frowned.

"Riku, I know we just became friends… but don't talk to your sister like that. She's obviously concerned about you, you're an hour late to your niece's birthday party, it must have been more than just a fight. You shouldn't snap at people who are obviously worried about you and care about your well-being. Because not everyone gives a shit and that's something everyone learns too soon. So just give her a little bit more than 'I got in a fight,' please? She's concerned and honestly, I am too." I said and looked him in the eye.

Riku sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry… I'm just a little aggravated with the events of the day. I leave the house to get to this party only to see my ex-boyfriend waiting outside for me." He said.

I watched Xion's face turn downward. "You mean that dick, Xemnas?" she asked and I looked to Riku for his answer.

"Yeah… and when I moved to my car he started spouting this shit about how I obviously don't have anyone new in my life and that we should just get back together. But I promised myself I'd never fucking go back to him…" he said.

"Good Riku, you don't need him." Xion said and nodded.

"When I told him to leave, he got angry and started saying that he wasn't over me and that he still loved me and all this bullshit. Then he had the gall to tell me that I still loved him too and that that's why I haven't moved on." Riku rolled his eyes before taking a bite of his pizza and chewing slowly.

"And then he punched you?" I asked.

"No, I told him that I was over him and that I wasn't going to be a hole he could fuck when he was in the mood and I sure as fuck wasn't going to be his punching bag… that's when he punched me." Riku said.

"Okay… I officially say you had every right to fuck him up. What an asshole!" I said a little too loud and I had to quiet myself down and remember where I was.

Riku and Xion chuckled. "Agreed." Xion added.

"So yeah… it was the perfect moment for me to use the skill that I had acquired after I broke up with him." Riku said.

"What were those skills?" I asked.

"I spent a whole year practicing boxing and judo for the sake of self defense." Riku said.

"Well, that's fucking awesome…" I said and smiled.

"Well, yeah… It was only after I knocked him to the ground, got two punches and pulled a knife on him that he finally realized that I really had moved on and that I didn't need someone to take care of me anymore." Riku said and I smiled.

"You, my friend… are awesome." I said. "Did you tell him anything? Aw, that would be cool if you said something cool after doing all that shit! Like a superhero! Like a BOSS!" I babbled excitedly.

Xion laughed. "I'm impressed, what did you say?" she asked.

Riku laughed and shook his head before looking at me. "I just told him that if he approached me ever again I would destroy him and that I was perfectly capable of making him disappear and cleaning up my mess." Riku finished.

I stood and pulled him into a headlock and gave him a nuggie. "YOU ARE SO COOL!" I man-squealed.

Yes, a man-squeal.

Riku laughed and pushed me off of him. "I'm glad my fight proved to be a source of entertainment to you." He said.

"Well, if you ever find yourself with a five year old daughter… you'll understand." I said and sat down to grab a piece of pizza only to realize that I had already finished it all.

"So why did you date such an asshole in the first place?" I asked out of curiosity.

Riku frowned.

"Oh! Sorry, never mind. I didn't mean to pry." I said and finished Kairi's drink.

"No it's fine… he wasn't an asshole at first. He was everything to me really when I had first met him… we were together for six years. I had met him outside of school… he seemed to be everything I wanted in a boyfriend. Supportive, caring, easy to talk to, he was my rock you know. School was really stressful and at some points I just about thought I was going to go insane. So I relied on him a great deal and I just wanted to be taken care of, you know? I was really immature and stupid and I don't think I knew what it meant to be in a serious relationship. So it was great and all the fist couple of years and then after that I think Xemnas realized he was getting the short end of the stick. He started getting angry when I would ask things of him. I mean, it was kind of reasonable because I asked him to do everything. But I didn't understand that at the time. So it was another two years of him just getting angrier and angrier until he finally just snapped. He started hitting me…" Riku trailed off a little.

"What!" I exclaimed. I couldn't understand abusive relationships… I just couldn't see why a person would ever want to raise a hand to a person they supposedly loved. Hitting a partner just wasn't something I would ever do or understand.

"It wasn't that bad at first. It was a push or a shove and I was a man so I could handle it. At least that's what I told myself. But eventually it got worse. I would have bruises everywhere and I was emotionally damaged. I didn't let it affect my schoolwork but it was so hard not to just break down. When he started hurting me during sex on top of everything else, I realized how much trouble I was in. I tried to spend almost every minute out of that house… But eventually I would have to come home and when he figured that I was trying to avoid him he started manipulating me. He would beg on his hands and knees and tell me he'd never hit me again and… I still loved him so I believed him every time. When I finally was ready for internships and I was out of school I decided I would try and get out. He laughed at me when I told him it was over. Then he promptly dragged me to the bedroom and ripped me apart… I had finally had enough when tried to strangle me. I realized that my life was really in danger and that if he really loved me he wouldn't be trying to kill me… I know it all seems kind of pathetic but I was young and in the beginning I was so sure he was the ONE you know, I loved him so much but I cared enough about myself to leave him." Riku said.

I was completely shocked. I had no idea it could get so bad. I mean it was in movies and dramas and stuff but I never thought it could really happen in real life.

"It isn't pathetic Riku… I'm shocked but I could never think something like that is pathetic… to have someone you relied on and loved so much just turn on you like that, I admire your strength and self-respect. I don't think I would have been able to handle it. And then for you to get over him in just a year and better yourself in the process… I mean, look at yourself! You've learned to take care of yourself and you've learned to fight back. You're really successful and you have an awesome car and you really just faced a person that had betrayed you so badly… and you just walked right over him! That's nothing short of amazing, man! Oh god, I sound so fucking mushy right not but I do need to say it. You are an awe-inspiring man, my friend. And you should never cut yourself short because you have people like me and Kairi that think you're the greatest." I said with a smile.

"Sora is right Riku… and Sora, you seem like a pretty amazing person yourself." Xion said with a smile.

"Aw shucks… there's no need for that. I'm just telling it how it is." I said with a small blush.

"Thanks, Sora." Riku said and I leaned over the table to pat him on the shoulder.

"No problem, dude." I said and leaned back in my chair. Kairi and Liam came back to the table with tickets in their hands.

"Look how much we got, Dad!" Kairi said with a big smile.

I looked at the tickets and my jaw almost hit the floor. "How did you get so many?" I asked genuinely wanting to know.

"Liam and I were playing a game and he hit the jackpot… and then we got like a billion tickets!" she said.

I smiled. "Wow, great job you too. You want me to go count how many you got?" I asked.

"Yeah!" they said together.

I managed to gather all of the tickets they had gotten and moved to the counter where Yuffie looked surprised.

"Where did you get all of those?" she asked.

"Someone finally hit the jackpot on one of those games out there." I said and started to feed the tickets into the counting machine.

Kairi and Laim watched in amazement as the number got higher and higher. When it was all done, there was five thousand and forty-two tickets.

"That means each of you get two thousand five hundred and twenty one tickets. This means you can get about twenty things down here… which I forbid for you Kairi because you have enough stuff. Or you can get a few things behind me." I said.

"Can I save mine for the disco ball?" Kairi asked.

"You sure can, I'll leave put your tickets in your safe." I said.

"Kairi can have my tickets." Liam said.

I frowned. "Are you sure, Liam? That's a lot of tickets. You could get a pretty nice prize if you used them." I said.

"I only like playing the games and getting the tickets… I don't like the prizes." He said and I smiled.

"Are you really sure?" Kairi asked. "There's nothing you want?" she asked.

"Nothing on the shelves." He said and I smiled.

"Well, if Liam really doesn't want his tickets… that means Kairi finally has enough for her disco ball." I said.

"Really?" Kairi asked her face lighting up.

"Yep." I said.

"Liam you helped me persevere!" Kairi said with a smile.

Liam just shrugged.

"Thank you, Liam." Kairi said with a smile and hugged Liam tightly. Liam's face turned red and I chuckled.

I moved to the back and took one of the disco balls from the back. "Here you go Kairi-cat." I said and handed it to her.

"Wow, it's so cool! Don't you think it's cool, Liam?" she asked and Liam shrugged again.

"Well, Liam… thank you very much for helping Kairi. Are you sure you don't want anything?" I asked.

"Can I marry Kairi?" Liam asked and I took a second to register what Liam had said.

"Well… that's umm… that's Kairi's decision." I said and looked to Yuffie who was just watching this whole thing with an amused look on her face.

"Don't look at me, Daddy-o." Yuffie said with a laugh.

"So how many tickets was it?" Riku and Xion walked over and I smiled.

"Five thousand something." I said and Xion and Riku looked impressed.

"I finally got my disco ball!" Kairi exclaimed and lifted it up so that Riku could see it.

"Wow, this is really fancy! Are you going to have a party with it?" Riku asked.

"Yeah! You're invited!" she said and I laughed.

"So if Kairi says yes I can marry her?" Liam asked me and I looked at Xion.

"Honey, it's about twenty years too early for you to ask that." Xion said and kissed her son on the head.

"But that's what I want." Liam said.

I sighed. "Kairi, Liam wants to marry you." I said.

Kairi looked puzzled. "I'm already married." She said.

I looked shocked. "What?" I asked.

"To Zell." She said with a smile.

"Oh, okay." I said. Wow…

"You can be my boyfriend though, Liam!" Kairi said.

"Okay!" Liam said excitedly.

I groaned. "Oh God, my daughter's a heartbreaker!" I said dramatically.

Xion, Riku, and Yuffie laughed.

"Liam… you goof." Xion said fondly.

We all walked back to the tables and chatted for a while. I learned that Xion and her family lived out of town and that they were leaving tomorrow to head back home.

"I hope you two are ready for a long distance relationship." I said to Kairi and she smiled.

"We'll be okay, right Liam?" Kairi said.

"Yeah." Liam said and I smiled at them. Oh the frivolity of youth.

"Daddy?" Kairi asked.

"Yes, my sweet daughter of mine?" I replied.

"Can Riku hang out with us tomorrow?" Kairi asked.

I shrugged and looked to Riku. "Do you feel like hanging out with a couple of goofballs tomorrow? Are you free?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm free every Sunday of this month. And I'd love to hang with a couple of goofballs tomorrow. You guys are like the funnest people I know." Riku said with a smile.

"Wow, what a compliment! Did you hear that Kairi? We're the funnest people he knows! He must not know a lot of fun people, huh?" I said.

Kairi giggle. "I don't know daddy, we're pretty fun!" she said.

I laughed and kissed her head.

When the party was over, Kairi and I bid everyone farewell and Yuffie and I cleaned before calling it a night. We locked up everything and Kairi and I said bye to Yuffie before heading home.

A/N: So there you have it, a day at Chuck E. Cheese for Sora and Riku's relationship history. As you can see, Sora is already developing a man crush on our wonderful Dr. Riku… Give me 20 more reviews and you shall have another chapter. PRESS THE LOVELY BUTTON! I love to hear from you guys! I'm so happy all of you are liking it so far.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello Doctor **

**Disclaimer: **…come on now… I don't own anything in this story except for plot events and original characters…

DUDE! 28 reviews last chapter! Awesome guys! Let's try for at least 22 for this one so that I'll have 110 reviews by chapter seven. And I think starting next chapter I'm going to start replying to everyone's review at the end of the chapters… I recently got a review where the person told me that popular writers usually don't really spend enough time to respond to reviews, which discourages some readers from reviewing. So I hope that you all know that even though my goal is 1000 reviews, I'm not obsessed with a number, I really do care about what all of you have to say… so I hope responding to each of you will help you realize that. Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 6

The next morning, Kairi and I were eating our frosted mini wheats when my phone rang. I stood and kissed Kairi on the head before walking into my bedroom to grab my phone.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hey Sora, it's Riku." I heard from the other line.

"Hey Riku, are you still up for hanging with us today?" I asked.

"Yeah, I was wondering where I'm going to meet up with you guys. And what's on the agenda for today?" Riku asked.

I smacked my forehead. "Sorry! I didn't give you any details yesterday. I feel kinda dumb now." I said.

"It's fine, no need to freak out. You can just tell me now." Riku said in a slightly amused tone.

"Well, I finally got the courage to take Kairi to the Zoo so we're going at noon. You can meet us at the entrance. Does that sound good?" I asked.

"Why were you so apprehensive about a Zoo? The animals are in secure exhibits… they can't hurt you." Riku said.

"But some of those animals are so big! I just don't feel comfortable bringing my daughter to a place filled with large, wild animals!" I exclaimed.

"Whoa… okay, calm down. Maybe it's a good thing I'm coming along with you. Don't worry about a thing. Kairi is completely safe." Riku said in a calming voice, and I actually felt relaxed by it.

It must be because he's a doctor.

I took a deep breath. "Okay… so we'll see you at noon?" I asked.

"Yes, you will." Riku said and we said our goodbyes before hanging up. I walked back into the living room and sat at the table to finish my cereal.

"Daddy, we don't have to go to the Zoo if you don't want too…" Kairi said softly. She was looking into her cereal bowl and swishing the milk around with her spoon. I frowned and punched myself mentally, I made my daughter feel bad about visiting the Zoo.

"No, we are going to that darn Zoo whether you like it or not! No animal will remain unseen by your adorable little eyes!" I said and picked her up and spun her around a little. She giggled and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Riku is coming too right?" Kairi asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, he's going to be our safety blanket. He's brave enough to take you near the animals and level-headed enough to keep me calm about it. This way, you can enjoy the Zoo and I don't have to pass out within the first five minutes." I said.

Kairi laughed. "Daddy is a 'fraidy-cat!" she said.

"In this situation, yes I am." I said and put her down so that I could finish my breakfast. "Go brush your teeth Kairi. And I can tell when you're only pretending to brush… I wasn't born yesterday." I said.

Kairi huffed. "I brush my teeth everyday, two times a day!"

I smiled. "Okay then, go brush 'em." I said.

Kairi moved to the bathroom and I watched her stand on the stool and grab her toothbrush. She was so cute!

-Hello, Doctor-

When Kairi and I arrived at the Zoo. I bought a ticket and was surprised that children five and under get in free. I looked down at Kairi. "Did you hear that Kairi! I don't even have to buy you a ticket! I'll just go ahead and buy Riku one then." I said and purchased one more ticket.

"Daddy, I wanna see the flamingoes! Oh, and the giraffes and the gorillas!" Kairi said excitedly.

"Well, we have to wait for Riku first." I said and smiled down at her, trying to quell my own nervousness.

"Hey, are you guys ready? I have to go buy a ticket but I'm here!" Riku said.

"No need, I already bought you one. Let's go inside." I said calmly.

"Oh, well… thanks." Riku said before we entered the Zoo.

"Flamingoes! Flamingoes!" Kairi squealed before grabbing my hand and tugging me towards the exhibit.

"Alright, alright, Kairi! I hear you loud and clear!" I said with a small laugh at her enthusiasm.

"Well, come on Dad!" Riku said with a smirk.

"YEAH, COME ON DAD!" Kairi yelped with impatience.

I glared at Riku. "Don't fuel the fire, Riku…" I said.

Riku laughed. "They're just birds…" Riku said.

"Yeah, but next it's going to be Lions or Komodo Dragons!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, but by then you'll be used to it. Kairi and I will go from the least dangerous animals to the more dangerous ones. Right?" Riku looked over to my daughter.

"Yeah! Don't be scared daddy!" Kairi said and we walked over to the flamingoes.

"How come that little one isn't pink?" Kairi asked and pointed to a small flamingo in the back.

"Well, that's because it hasn't eaten enough shrimp. Flamingoes get their pick color from their diet." Riku said.

"If I eat a bunch of shrimp will I turn pink too?" Kairi asked and looked up at Riku.

"No. You, my sweet, will only get indigestion. Believe me, I know." Riku said and lifted Kairi up and onto his shoulders. Kairi laughed and hugged his head.

I smiled at the sight. Kairi really liked Riku. I was glad that I could have friends that Kairi considered her friends too.

"You wanna go see the peacocks now?" Riku asked and Kairi nodded. "Yeah!" she said.

I followed them and found my anxiety levels sinking… It was hard to think Kairi was in danger when she was having so much fun. And it's only been five minutes.

"Peacocks are so pretty! That one is like a princess!" Kairi said and I looked to see a peacock revealing it's beautiful plumage.

"Kairi that peacock is actually a boy. The brown one over there is the girl." Riku said and Kairi pouted.

"Why does the girl one look so plain?" Kairi and I asked at the same time.

Riku looked a little surprised by our synchronized response. "It's almost always the guy birds that have to impress the girl birds. The girls get to sit back and chose the best partner for themselves." Riku said.

"Well, that's kinda cool." We said together again and I smiled up at my daughter. "That's how life should be… Kairi, you don't have to impress boys… the boys should impress you, otherwise they're not worth it!" I said with a nod.

"Okay…" Kairi said with a smile.

"How do you know all this stuff anyway?" I asked.

"I had to take both my niece and my nephew to the Zoo and they ask a lot of questions." Riku said.

"So, Kairi and I have a Zoo expert then…" I said and Riku shrugged causing Kairi to giggle at the slight bounce.

We moved through all of the birds; I think Kairi liked the Toucan the most and found ourselves at the primate section.

"I want to see the apes and monkeys!" Kairi said and Riku moved forward. The bird exhibits went so smoothly, I only hope that all of the others are just as successful and not nerve racking.

"I think spider monkeys are cute." Riku said and pointed to the first exhibit.

"They are cute!" Kairi said and watched them jump around and hang on the ropes. Kairi looked to the next exhibit and smiled.

"Those are even cuter." She said and I looked over at the tiny little monkeys chewing on leaves. "Mar-mo-sets." I read the sign slowly. "They are pretty cute." I said and moved closer to watch them eat.

One little marmoset put the leaf it was chewing down and looked at me. I smiled. I couldn't deny how adorable it was. Suddenly, the marmoset jumped. It startled the pants off of me and I found myself retreating. "They're cute from a distance." I said and Riku and Kairi laughed at me.

"Yeah, yeah, have a good laugh at my expense." I grumbled.

"I think your dad is cuter than the marmoset, don't you agree Kairi?" Riku asked.

"Yeah, he's like a little puppy-dog!" Kairi said. I rolled my eyes at them and we moved on to the big apes.

"Wow! They're so big!" Kairi said and pointed to the orangutan. "There's a baby on it's back!" Kairi said in surprise when she spotted it.

"It makes me kind of happy to know that orangutans have wholesome families too." I said and Riku smiled.

"Gorillas too." Riku said and tilted his head over to the other exhibit where a mother and child were sitting in the small pool of water to cool off.

The primate exhibit went smoothly as well and I was a little less apprehensive when we entered the wildcats exhibits.

"Lynx look really cool. I like their ears and tails." Riku said and Kairi smiled. "I want one as a pet!" Kairi said.

"That ain't gonna happen… not while you are living under my roof." I said flatly and Kairi pouted.

"You're no fun." Kairi said.

"Well, excuse me for not wanting to bring a wild animal into my house where it could easily eat us both." I said and we moved on to the panther cage.

"Wow… even I have to admit that he is awesome! Look at those intense green eyes!" I said and ran up to the glass to see it up close.

"I wanna see it too!" Kairi exclaimed and Riku must have put her down because the next thing I know she's standing right next to me.

"If you look hard enough, you'll notice that black panthers actually do have spots." Riku said.

I squinted my eyes and looked closely at the cat's fur. "I don't see it." I said.

"If you look at his legs, they're easier to see." Kairi said.

I looked down at the cat's legs and smiled when I did in fact see spots. "Wow, who knew my daughter was so observant." I said.

There was a laud roar and out of instinct, I grabbed Kairi and ran from the cage. What the heck was that?

I paused my thoughts when I heard Riku laughing hysterically. "Sora, you were standing next to the hidden loud speaker. There's no wild animal coming to get you! It's just ambient noises!" Riku laughed some more.

I looked over to where I was standing and noticed the speaker in the shrubbery. I frowned. "That's just wrong! It's like they want to give me a heart attack!" I said angrily. "And stop laughing at me!" I said.

"You can put me down, daddy." Kairi said and I put her down. "Sorry Kai." I said.

"It's okay. Let's look at the lions now!" Kairi said and I frowned.

After the Lions, the Zoo transitioned into an African animal exhibit. Kairi smiled at the Zebras and the Antelope. "Giraffe!" Kairi yelled when she spotted it.

"You wanna feed it Kairi?" Riku asked and I turned to object.

"Yeah!" Kairi exclaimed and I halted my interjection.

We walked over to a machine and Riku put a dollar in. The machine filled a cup with what I assumed to be Giraffe food.

Riku put some in his hands and gestured us to follow him. We walked up the stares and Riku put his hand through the railing and waited. I watched in amazement as this giant animal walked over and took the food from Riku's hands.

"Wow! I wanna try!" Kairi said and Riku poured some of the food into her hands. She also stuck her hands through the railing and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest when the Giraffe's giant grey tongue wrapped itself around Kairi's hand to get the food.

Please don't eat her. Please to don't eat her. Please don't eat her! I could hear myself chanting inside my head.

Kairi giggled. "It's slippery!" she yelled when the Giraffe finally ate the food. When all of the food was gone Riku and Kairi walked over to the washing station to clean their hands.

"That wasn't so bad was it?" Riku asked and I nodded.

"Sure… I was still having a nervous breakdown in my brain." I said and punched Riku in the arm.

Riku chuckled and we moved back downstairs to look at the rest of the animals. I looked at the sky and frowned.

"I hope it doesn't rain." I said.

"The weather man said that it shouldn't." Riku said. I took Kairi's hand and we walked to the reptile section. The snake exhibits were in an interior part of the Zoo. And the section wasn't so bad because the snakes hardly moved. So Kairi and I could just look at them as if they were living statues.

"This one reminds me of Riku!" Kairi said and pointed to a grey snake with green-blue eyes.

"There is a slight likeness…" I said and smiled up at Riku who shrugged.

"As long as you're not comparing me to a roach or something… those things creep me out." Riku said.

"You're afraid of roaches?" I asked with a giggle.

"No… they just creep me out. I have no problems killing them or facing them in mortal combat." Riku said with a smirk.

"Mmhmm." I hummed in disbelief as we left the building. I frowned when I felt the rain begin.

"Remind me never to trust the whether man again…" I said looking up at the dark clouds.

"Attention Zoo goers, due to incoming, inclement whether conditions, all exhibits are closed for the safety of the animals. Please find your way to the nearest exit and have a nice day." A polite voice said through an intercom.

"Well, we only had one more exhibit anyway." I said and looked around. "Where's Kairi?" I asked looking to Riku.

"She was right next to us a second ago." Riku said and looked around. I could feel my heart speed up with anxiety.

"Kairi!" I yelled and looked around as well. I moved back into the snake exhibit to see it empty. "Kairi?" I called to make sure. There was no response.

I walked back outside to a downpour. Why wasn't this on the damn weather channel! "Kairi!" I yelled once more.

"Did you find her?" Riku asked and I shook my head. "Shit." I said and started out into the rain. "Kairi!" I yelled and frowned when thunder rumbled. "Riku we have to find her now!" I said panic starting to rush through my veins.

"We'll find her, calm down." Riku said and there was flash of lightening before the thunder boomed.

"You don't understand! Kairi is terrified of thunder and lightening. Sometimes it gets to a point where she has panic attacks. I can't leave her alone out here in the middle of a storm… she's probably lost and scared and who knows what!" I yelled before running down the pathway. "Kairi!" I yelled my heart pounding mercilessly in my chest. My baby was out there somewhere in the cold wet rain and I couldn't find her!

"Kairi!" I hear Riku yell from the left of me and I saw him running. Did he find her?

And that's when I spotted her, curled up under a bench with her hands to her ears. I sprinted past Riku and pulled her out from under the bench. She was trembling violently and I ran my hands over her to see if she was hurt.

I thanked God that she wasn't.

"Kairi! Kairi, look at me. It's okay. I'm here and I'm gonna get you out of this rain." I said and pulled her against me.

"Daddy!" She cried and sobbed into my neck. I held her tightly and stood. I turned and Riku ran towards us with an umbrella.

"Let's get out of here." He said and I nodded. Riku and I jogged over to the exit and I turned to him.

"Why don't you come over to our place? I think some cocoa and a movie are in order." I said and hushed my daughter who was still shaking but with less intensity.

"Sounds good. I'll follow you." Riku said and ran over to his car while I moved to mine. I quickly put Kairi into the car seat despite her protests. I knew she wanted me to hold her but I couldn't do that while I was driving.

I turned on the radio to distract Kairi from the rain. Eventually her sobs calmed into tiny hiccups. I pulled into the apartment complex and Riku parked next to me.

I got out of the car and pulled Kairi from her seat. I walked over to the gate and opened it quickly before entering the apartment. I looked to see Riku closing the gate and door behind me.

"Welcome to our humble abode. Kairi, let's go get some towels for our guest okay?" I asked and Kairi nodded quietly from her spot in my arms.

I walked to the bathroom and put Kairi down I handed her a towel and asked her to bring it to Riku. She nodded and walked out of the bathroom. I grabbed two more and made my way towards the living room as well.

I put one of the towels down and called Kairi over. I dried off her hair gently and dried off the rest of her before pulling her close. "You scared the living daylights out of me Kai, don't go running off without me ever again, you hear me?" I said and Kairi nodded before I released her. I jumped when I felt a towel on my head.

"You'll catch a cold if you don't dry up." I heard Riku say and he helped dry my hair off.

"Thanks." I said and looked to Kairi. "You want to pick out a movie, Kairi-cat?" I asked and Kairi smiled for the first time since the scare.

"Okay." She said and moved over to pick one out. I stood and looked to Riku. "I'm gonna change my shirt. Do you want one? I see yours is wet too." I said.

"Yeah, if it isn't too much trouble." Riku said.

I waved him off before moving into my bedroom to find a couple of shirts. I grabbed one and changed into it before finding a bigger one for Riku.

I walked back out and handed him the shirt before moving to Kairi's room to find one for her to change into.

"Let's watch this!" Kairi ran up to me and I looked down to see Beauty and the Beast. I smiled.

"Hmm, I figured you would have picked Lion King after coming from the Zoo." I said. "Kairi put on this shirt before you catch a cold." I said and handed it to her.

Kairi took the shirt and moved to go get changed while I pulled a kettle from the cabinet and three mugs.

"You want any help?" Riku asked.

"Well, if you want to grab the whipped cream from the fridge and the marshmallows from off the top of the fridge that would be great." I said and filled the kettle with water and put it on the stove before pulling out the cocoa.

"Here you go." Riku said and I smiled. "Thanks…" I trialed off… "Really… thank you for today." I said.

"No problem, Sora. I'm just glad everything is okay." Riku said and put a hand on my shoulder before sitting on the couch.

-Hello, Doctor-

Riku's POV

I walked back to the sofa and watched as Kairi put the video into the DVD player and started the video. She then turned to me with a smile and walked over to me.

"Have you seen Beauty and the Beast before?" she asked.

I nodded. "I sure have, Belle is my favorite Disney princess." I said and was surprised when she crawled into my lap. I pulled her up so that she was situated more securely before I began to play in her damp hair.

"She's my favorite too! She's so pretty and she sings the best!" Kairi said with a beam.

I chuckled. "Do you like singing Kairi?" I asked.

"Yes! Daddy and I are gonna sing for you when we play the video, _right Daddy_?" Kairi turned her head to the kitchen and I laughed when Sora let out a groan.

"I have to sing the songs in front of Riku? Kairi don't do this to me!" Sora begged.

"But Riku wants to hear it, don't you?" Kairi said with an evil looking grin on her face. I snorted before patting her on the head.

"I am a little curious. You don't have to though." I said even though I really hoped that he would.

If he could do that, he would officially be dubbed world's best Dad in my book. And I really just wanted to hear him sing and watch him get that adorable flush on his face.

He was so cute.

I shook my head at that thought and looked to Sora who sighed in defeat before pressing play on the remote to begin the movie.

When the movie began Kairi began. "Little town, it's a quiet village, everyday like the one before. Little town full of little people waking up to say…" I immediately laughed at the first notes that came from Sora's mouth.

"Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour, bonjour, bonjour!" He sang, imitating each voice perfectly.

It was highly amusing and highly impressive all at the same time.

"There goes the baker with his tray like always! The same old bread and rolls to sell!" Kairi sang and I 'awwwed' out loud.

"MARIE THE BAGUETTES! HURRY UP!" I began to laugh hysterically at that line. Sora was so funny! He was every other character on the TV, including the women, except for Belle who was being sung beautifully by Kairi.

"Ah! Isn't this amazing! It's my favorite part because you'll see… here's where she meets prince charming, but she won't discover that it's him till chapter three!" Kairi sang.

The song continued with Sora imitating voices but I couldn't help but be completely surprised by the baritone voice he began to use.

"Right from the moment that I met her, saw her, I said she's gorgeous and I fell… Here in town there's only she, who is beautiful as me. So I'm making plans to rule and marry Belle." He sang before turning into a woman to fit in with the group of females that sang next.

They continued to sing and when the song was finally over, I was in tears. It was so funny but it was beautiful. "You are officially the greatest Dad on the planet! And wow! Who knew you could do so many voices! It was amazing Sora! I'm thoroughly impressed." I said and Sora's face flushed.

"Ummmm… thanks, I guess." He said and scratched the back of his head.

I grabbed my cup of hot cocoa and took a sip, wishing for the billionth time that day that the feelings I was developing for Sora would go away. The man was straight and there was nothing I could do about it.

But he was so sweet and such a wonderful Dad… he was a great person and his daughter was the cutest being on the planet. They were quickly breaking down the doors of my heart and making themselves at home.

Kairi giggled at the movie and I placed my chin on her head. She turned her head upward to smile at me before moving back to watching the movie.

The movie continued and I smiled softly when Kairi had fallen asleep in my lap. I looked to Sora and let out a small hum of amusement when I saw him thoroughly engaged in the film. He was even mouthing the words.

"Is this your favorite movie too?" I asked softly and Sora flinched out of his reverie and blushed for a second time.

"No… I just… I've always loved animated media. From anime to Pixar, it's just amazing to me. The people who are involved are so lucky to be a part of something so special. At one point I…." he trailed off and sat back in his seat with a sigh.

I frowned. "At one point?" I urged gently.

"Well, at one point I thought about trying to join that business… you know, voice acting. It was a dream of mine but it's so demanding… I just couldn't do that to Kairi. She deserves a dad that'll always be there for her... If I had gotten into that, all of my time with her would be gone. And it's not the most profitable occupation… It's safer to just stay as I am…" He said in a quiet voice and I nodded.

"That is true… but if you're really successful at it, you'll make enough money and I know Kairi would be so proud of you. Personally I think Kairi would understand if the time you got to spend with her decreased. I think Kairi knows that if she had to she could rely on others. I'm not trying to force you or anything… but I think if you really tried, you'd have a good shot at something like this. I mean, you successfully acted like fifteen or so different people without a problem. It really was amazing." I said hoping that he wouldn't think I was pushing.

"Thank you for that… it's great to know that I would have had your support… but I just don't think it's a good idea…" Sora said. He held his mug tightly in his hands. He seemed so lost in thought. He was really battling himself about this and I couldn't help but respect him even more for sacrificing dreams so that Kairi could have her own in the future.

"Just talk to your Mom about it. Maybe she can give you some advice…" I suggested before finishing my hot chocolate.

Sora sighed and finished his cup before getting up to turn off the film. He walked back over to the couch and sat next to me. I smiled at him before standing, taking Kairi with me. "Should I put her in her bed?" I asked.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry about that. She just looked so comfy there on your lap." Sora said with a small laugh and moved to what I was assuming was Kairi's bedroom.

"It's no problem, she's not heavy or anything." I said and smiled when I walked into the room. "This is a room fit for a princess." I finished and smiled at all the pink.

Sora laughed and took Kairi from me before placing her on the bed. He tucked her in gently before brushing the hair from her head and kissing it softly.

I walked back into the living room and took a breath. The infatuation had to stop… it had to stop, soon. Why was it doing the exact opposite of what I wanted? I couldn't do this to myself, it wasn't healthy.

"It's only 7:30, do you want to stick around for a while? I wouldn't mind the company. I always get kind of bored when Kairi goes to bed." Sora said and sat back down on the sofa.

I didn't have the heart to say no to those expressively beautiful blue eyes. I sat down and smiled at him. "Is this usually when she goes to bed? If so, I don't blame you for wanting me to stay, you must be bored to tears some days." I said.

"Yes!" Sora groaned with a smile. "Well, no… her bed time is 8:30 but still! There's not much one can do when you have one source of entertainment and she has a bed time early in the evening. Most day's I end up laying around in my bed thinking about all the shit I have to do the next day." Sora said.

"Sounds painful… I don't even do that… It's too depressing." I said with a chuckle.

"It's a terrible habit really." Sora said.

"Yeah really, you don't need all those bad vibes before going to sleep, it only makes it so much harder to get up the next day. Believe me, I'm a doctor." I said.

"This is going to sound so stupid but have you ever given yourself a checkup? I feel like you could save hundreds on doctor bills if you could diagnose yourself when you were sick." He asked and I shook my head.

"No, I've never done that. I wouldn't be able to trust myself." He said.

"Wait, you just told me to trust you but you can't even trust yourself?" Sora asked with an amused look on his face.

"No not like that… I mean, if something was really wrong with me… I would probably just ignore the signs for the sake of not knowing… I'd be in denial because, it's scary you know. I get scared sometimes just telling other people they're sick. But to have to tell myself… it would be too much." I said.

"Wow, I never thought about it like that. In fact I never really thought about how the doctor must feel in those sorts of situations… it must be tough." Sora said with raw compassion on his face. I smiled at him.

"It is… it's something you never get used to. And medical school tries so hard to prepare you for it but it can't be done. It's not the same unless it's real and when it's real, it hurts. I'll never forget the first time I had to tell a mother that her daughter was going to die of cancer… I almost broke down in front of her. Part of it was me knowing that I had single-handedly destroyed any hope she had of being happy again and being powerless to fix it, and the other part was me knowing that what I was feeling was nothing compared to the sheer emptiness she must have been feeling at that moment. I had felt like such a failure and I didn't blame her one bit when she hit me." I said.

"She hit you?" Sora asked with a gasp.

"I would have hit me too… I was supposed to be the strong person, the person who represented the cure and the hope of recovery and there I was breaking down when she needed me to be the strongest." I explained.

"She still shouldn't have hit you…" Sora mumbled and I smiled.

"That was years ago. I've gotten better at doing it… though I don't do it much. You never get used to it, but it becomes easier to bear in that moment… then when you're all alone where no one can see you, you can let it all go." I said.

Sora moved over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You are an amazing person, Riku. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here to listen." Sora said and looked me in the eye.

"Thanks. That's good to know." I said.

"Damn, when did our conversation get so depressing?" Sora asked with a snort.

"Would you like to talk about something else, Sora?" I asked with a chuckle.

"Yes please! I would absolutely love to talk about…" Sora thought and I laughed.

"Personally, I want to hear more of these voices you have." I said.

"D'oh, no you don't!" Sora said with another blush.

"Yes I do!" I said with a laugh. "Do you have a favorite voice?" I asked.

"Yeah… I actually really like to speak like an Old Russian Lady, Kairi cannot stop laughing after hearing it. It is pretty funny, I have to say. So I don't blame her." Sora said and I laughed.

"Can I have the honor of hearing this voice?" I asked.

"Well of course you can." Sora spoke in the voice and I had to take a second to register the fact that such a voice was produced by his vocal chords.

After that second was over, I was laughing… like stomach ache laughing. The kind of laugh where no sound is there except for gasping… How was that even physically possible?

"What? You no like my voice? Shame! Shame on you! I shall never see you again! Ohhhh! I'm so disgusted!" He continued with the voice and I could not stop laughing.

"Ahhh! Oh God! How do you do that! Hahahahaha!" I managed to get out.

"I no know how I do it, I just do!" Sora said and I wiped the tears that were forming under my eyes.

"Now whenever I come across anything at all related to Russia, I'll probably think of you, and laugh." I said with a chuckle.

"That's terrible! That probably sounds nothing like a real Russian accent!" Sora said and I just shook my head.

"It doesn't matter… Kairi was right to think that was funny." I said and spotted one of the towels that had fallen to the floor.

I bent down to pick it up when I suddenly felt my head collide with something. I retracted quickly with a hiss and looked over to Sora who had a hand covering his eye.

"Oh geez, are you okay. I just saw the towel, I didn't think you were going to go for it too." I said and moved over to him.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it." He said and continued to cover his eye.

"Well, then let me take a look at it just in case. I could have ruptured something with my huge cranium." I said.

"It's not that big." Sora said before removing his hand. I scooted a little closer and examined the slightly red eye.

"Okay, does it hurt to look at me?" I asked. He shook his head. "Can you see me clearly?" I asked and looked to make sure he didn't have a concussion or anything.

"Yes, Riku. I'm fine!" Sora said with a laugh.

"One more thing. Follow my finger with your eyes. Let me know if you feel any pain." I said and lifted my index finger before moving it from left to right, up and down. His eyes slowly followed my digit and when I was done. I felt better about crashing my head into his face.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked one more time for good measure.

"Yes! It's not like I was bleeding or anything! And I don't think my bones are so brittle as to break after one small collision." Sora said and smiled at me.

I returned the smile and that's when I realized that our faces were really close. If I leaned in a few more inches I could kiss him.

And I really wanted to kiss him.

Without realizing it I had leaned in further, my lips slightly brushing his before he retracted and spoke.

"Uh Riku? Are you sure _you _are okay? Did you hit your head too hard?" he asked his face was concerned and uncomfortable at the same time.

I snapped out of whatever trance I was locked in and moved away from him. "Shit… I'm so sorry Sora. That was really bad… I should probably go… I'll see you later, I guess." I said and stood before pulling my keys from my pocket and moving towards the door.

What the fuck did I just do? I'm such an idiot!

"Wait, Riku! Slow your roll, okay?" Sora said and grabbed my wrist. I turned back to him and he let go.

"Look, it's late… you're probably tired… You don't have to kick yourself out. I'm not the kind of person to break friendships that easily, I don't really have many friends to begin with. And even if I did have a lot of friends, I wouldn't do that. Just don't beat yourself up about it, it was an accident." Sora said and the look in his eyes were so forgiving I almost gave into the urge to kiss him again.

"Thank you Sora, for understanding. But I really should be getting home. It is late and I actually have to get up early." I said with a small smile. "Thanks for having me over, Sora. It was fun. Tell Kairi to have a good day at school for me, okay?" I asked.

"Sure thing, Riku. I'll see you later!" Sora said and I almost jumped when he pulled me into a hug and patted my back a couple of times. "Have a nice night." He said and opened the door for me.

I smiled at him. "You too." I said before leaving the apartment and heading towards my car.

Something told me that I wasn't going to get much sleep tonight.

A/N: dun, Dun, DUUUUUUUNNNNN! Saywhat? RIKU KISSED SORA! What is going to happen? Review to find out! :D


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, Doctor**

**Discliamer: **I only own the plot my friends… everything else belongs to respective owners.

Woohoo! 26 reviews for last chapter! Let's have 27 for chapter 8! Review responses are at the end of the chapter!

Chapter 7

I woke to the sound of my alarm. I crawled out of bed with a groan before moving to the bathroom to take a shower. When I turned on the water and stood under the spray, memories form yesterday flooded back into my head.

What the hell happened? Riku and I were talking as if we had been friends for forever and then suddenly he's trying to kiss me.

Didn't he know I was straight? Why would he do something like that? I wondered as my hand moved up to touch my lip. Things were going so well and then...

I shook my head at my thoughts. What happened wasn't worth dwelling upon. It was an accident.

And it wasn't really a kiss, our lips only brushed for a second.

It was better off forgotten.

With a sigh, I finished washing myself before leaving the warmth of the shower and leaving the bathroom so that I could get dressed.

I had just finished buttoning my jeans when I heard the door open.

"Hey kiddo, why are you up so early?" I asked as I watched Kairi yawn before walking over to me.

"Did Riku go home?" Kairi asked in her adorable drowsy voice.

"Yeah, he left after you fell asleep," I said and lifted her into my arms.

"He left his shirt here..." Kairi yawned again before pressing her face to my chest. It was probably still warm from the hot water of the shower. "I want Riku to come over more often... I like him and it's easier to ride on his shoulders cuz he's bigger than you," Kairi mumbled and I laughed.

"You are so fickle!" I scoffed playfully.

"I am not a pickle!" Kairi huffed before sending me a glare. I laughed again.

"I didn't call you a pickle silly, I called you fickle," I said.

"What does that mean?" she asked with a curious look in her eyes.

"If something is fickle it means it's easily persuaded or changed," I replied.

"I don't think I'm fickle. I just like Riku, that's all..." Kairi said and I smiled at her.

"I'm sure we'll see him again soon," I said and I meant it. Riku was a good friend and one little slip up wasn't going to change that.

"Good... Your smiles are even bigger when he's around..." Kairi said and rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes.

I frowned. Did Kairi notice something I didn't? Did I maybe put Riku in a position where he thought maybe I would return his feelings?

Oh shit, that would be terrible. I would never intentionally play with someone's feelings like that. "Kairi..." I started.

"Hmm?" Kairi hummed, she was starting to fall asleep again.

"Did Daddy..." I couldn't really figure out how to word this, "did Daddy seem more friendly with Riku than with Cloud?" I asked.

"Huh? No... You looked like you were having more fun talking with Riku than you do with Cloud..." Kairi said and I was amazed by my daughter's observations.

My frown deepened. Maybe Riku misunderstood something. It was true... It was a little easier to talk to Riku than it was to talk to Cloud... What if I made it seem as if I was into him?

That would make me a dickhole. Riku was really beating himself up about it. He seemed really torn when he realized what he had done...

But it wasn't really Riku's fault. It could have very well been mine.

I looked down at Kairi to see that she had fallen back to sleep. It was only 6:15, she had a half an hour to continue sleeping.

I laid back down on my bed with Kairi in my arms. It seemed like yesterday she was only a baby... She had grown so quickly. She had gotten so smart.

I could talk to Kairi almost like I could talk to another adult. She was wise beyond her years and only God knows how she turned out that way. I certainly didn't teach her to understand so much.

Maybe she really was a magical baby... I could believe that.

I pet the top of her head and hugged her a little closer. She was the most important person on the planet to me. I couldn't imagine a day without her.

It was then that I truly realized something. I kept saying that I couldn't deprive Kairi of my quality time with her and that's why I couldn't pursue my dream.

But it wasn't really Kairi needing me that was holding me back. It was the other way around.

I was afraid of being away from my daughter. So much so that I couldn't imagine a single change in my schedule that would take that way, even for a second.

I really needed to talk to my mom.

Kairi and I were going to pay her a visit today after my shift was over.

I laid there with Kairi sleeping against me for the remaining minutes before waking Kairi with a soft voice. When she woke I drew her a bath and helped her clean before drying her. She got dressed and soon we were ready to go.

-Hello, Doctor-

The drive to my mother's house was relaxing. Kairi was sitting in the back seat singing some random made-up song but the atmosphere was completely chill.

"Daddy and I are driving to Granma's... and I see a cat outside!" she sang and I laughed when I saw the cat dash across the street before a car could pass.

"Kairi sings everything!" I sang back before making a left turn onto my mother's street.

"I love singing... More than I love daddy!" Kairi sang quickly.

I gasped audibly and grabbed my chest with one of my hands. "Noooooo! I'll die if I don't have my daughter's love!" I yelled and cringed as if just by saying what she did she had mortally wounded me.

"I was just kidding!" Kairi laughed. "I love you, Dad!"

"It's too... Late... I-I'm going... To..." I trailed off and parked before collapsing on the steering wheel as if dead.

"You're just joking! Get up, Daddy! You didn't even finish what you were gonna say!" Kairi squealed.

"I'm going to die," I said clearly before resuming my corpse pose.

"Now I know you're REALLY joking!" Kairi laughed before unbuckling herself and moving over to shake me.

When I felt her hands on me I jolted up with a roar and grabbed her. She squealed again before laughing as I began to tickle her.

After asking me to stop nicely, I kissed her head before pulling my keys out of the car and getting out. Kairi followed and she took my hand gently. I rung the doorbell and when the door opened I smiled at my mother.

"Hey, Mom," I greeted and Kairi piped in.

"Hey, Granma! Do you like my haircut?" Kairi asked and looked up at her second favorite person in the world.

Second only to me of course.

"Yes! I do love your haircut, Kairi. It's so cute!" My mother said before scooping Kairi up and planting a big kiss on her cheek.

"Don't just stand in the doorway, son. It's not like I have to invite you in," my mother smiled at me and I chucked before entering the room.

"Kairi do you want to watch cartoon in the back room?" I asked hoping she would take the bait so that I could talk to my mother alone.

"Okay, but first I want to tell Granma about Riku!" Kairi said.

"Riku? Who's that Kairi, a new boyfriend?" My mother asked with a smile.

"Noo, silly! He's me and daddy's new friend. He gave me a check up and we went to eat and we went to the zoo and he came to our house! He's so much fun!" Kairi babbled and I sighed. I had a feeling my mother was going to begin fussing.

"Check up? Is he a doctor?" My mother asked and turned to me.

"Yeah and he knows almost everything! And he liked my new haircut too!" Kairi piped in again.

"Sora, you invited your pediatrician to a play date? To your house? I don't think that's appropriate." My mother sent me a disapproving look.

"Kairi, you want to watch those cartoons now?" I asked and Kairi relented.

After I set her up in the back, I walked back into the front room and began to explain the circumstances under which I had met Riku.

When I did that, I moved on to tell her about the various outings we went on and all the things that happened. "The reason I'm telling you all in this in detail is because there's something I need your opinion on," I finished.

"Well please tell me what's on your mind, this sounds interesting," my mom said with a smile and I laughed.

"Well, there's one thing about Riku that I didn't tell you yet. Riku's... Ummm, well he's gay," I said.

"Uhuh, so what?" She asked.

"When he was at our house, Kairi had fallen to sleep and we had put her to bed. We then sat in the living room and started talking. I mean we were talking about all kinds of things, it was like we had been friends years... And then the next thing I know he's trying to kiss me!" I said and covered my face in my embarrassment. I felt so bad about what happened I barely new what to do about it.

"Oooooooo! This _is_ juicy! Don't tell me you were an ass to him after, I know I taught you better than that!" My mother spouted and I glared at her.

"Of course I wasn't a dick to him! He looked so shocked, as if he had no idea what he was doing and when he did realize, he looked completely torn. I felt bad... I didn't want him to beat himself up over it," I said.

"So what's the problem?" Mom asked.

"Well, Kairi and I were talking and a thought hit me. What if I had somehow given the impression that I was into him? What if I had accidentally lead him on? When I thought about that I felt so guilty... That would make it my fault and Riku shouldn't stress about it," I said.

"What did Kairi say that made you think this?" My mother asked.

"She said that my smiles were bigger when he was around. When I asked her about the issue, she said I didn't act any differently really, just that it looked like I had more fun talking to him. And I'll admit... Riku is someone that I have no problems talking to. It's very easy because he gives of such a relaxing aura. I don't really have to be careful about what I say and I can speak my mind. Maybe being so open with him somehow gave him the wrong vibe," I said.

"That could he true. But you know son, from what it sounds like, you might actually just like him. I mean, for you to subconsciously unwind around him is not something you can do with anyone, especially someone you just met. It's not Riku's fault that he put the moves on you when all he was doing was reading the signs that were giving him the green light." Mom looked at me seriously and I just stared at her in shock.

Was she seriously suggesting that I was interested in Riku? I'm not gay, I've never even thought about any man in that way, let alone Riku! My mother was crazy!

"Think about it son, you haven't had much luck in the girlfriend department. Maybe that means something... Kairi seems to really like Riku anyway."

"Mom! Are you serious? You're right, I haven't had a steady girlfriend in a while. But that's mostly because I care more about being a father to Kairi than being a boyfriend. Is that so wrong? Why would suggest something like that?" I asked, completely exasperated.

"If it's not true, then it's not true. But I was only offering my thoughts on the situation. And I just want you to be happy. The way you talked about Riku... I hadn't seen you look so excited since the time Kairi spoke her first word." Mom looked at me and smiled before taking my hands.

I sighed. "I just... I've never thought of any guy like that... Not even him," I said.

"Well, then I think you shouldn't really worry about it. It will all sort itself out eventually," she said.

I smiled at her and decided I would talk to her about my second dilemma now. "I have another issue..." I said.

"Lay it on me, kid," Mom said with a laugh.

"You know I've always had the talent of speaking in different voices... It's actually been my dream to be a voice actor. I know it sounds dumb, but Riku thinks I could really do something with it... And I want to believe that too. But I'm concerned about what's going to happen. If I try out for an agency and get in, I still might not have a paying job for a while. And since I can't audition on Sunday's, I have to think about quitting my Saturday job... You can tell where I'm going with this right? I've wanted to voice act since I was seven but it's just not a practical occupation when trying to raise a kid. And though I feel like Kairi would be just fine if she saw less of me, it suddenly hit me that I might not be able to handle being away from her. I just don't know what to do. I feel like I'm choosing between what will make me happy and what is right for my kid. I don't know what to do, Mom," I said.

"Do you really want to be a voice actor, son?" My mother asked.

I gave her a miserable look. "Yes! The only thing that's making me hesitate is the money issue and my fear of drifting from Kairi. I want this so bad though... I really do," I said.

"Sora, if you want to do it so badly, then you should just do it. If you want to try and figure out how much quitting your job is going to hurt your income, we can do that. We can also figure out a way to fix it while your still getting the hang of things. You've insisted on providing for Kairi all on your own and that's taken a lot away from you. I know you would never regret it, but you never did get a chance to follow your dreams. I want to help you with this, I want to be able to do the things I never could as a mother. So if you really want this Sora, go for it and I will support you with everything that I have," Mom said with a determined glint in her eye. I wrapped my arms around her and sighed.

"Do you think Kairi would be okay with this?" I asked.

"Why do you just ask her yourself? Kairi, could you please come to the living room!" She shouted in a gentle voice.

"Okay!" I heard Kairi call back and when she entered the room and took her hand and pulled her over to me.

"Kairi, Daddy needs to ask you a serious question, okay?" I looked at her seriously and I could see her face drop to match mine. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine, baby. But I want to ask you something. You see, Daddy wants to try and get a new job. He wants to be the voices of the cartoon characters you like to watch. But doing something like that is going to be a struggle and I might loose a lot of the free time I once had to spend with you... Do you think I should still try for the job?" I asked.

"So you want to be a voice on TV?" she asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, then you could really be like the people in Beauty and the Beast!" Kairi spouted excitedly.

"But it's gonna be hard for the both of us. Do you think that you're ready for it?" I asked.

Kairi's eyes suddenly glistened with an emotion I couldn't name. She moved closer to me and put a hand on my face. "It's okay for the young prince to return to his journey now... This magic baby is a big-girl and she can handle anything as long as she knows you're happy and that you're gonna come back and see her," she said with a small smile. I couldn't help but be amazed by how perceptive she was.

I pulled her into a tight hug and smiled. "I have the sweetest, cutest, smartest, greatest, most beautiful child in the world. Don't you agree, mother?" I asked.

Mom chuckled. "I have to say, she is one of a kind."

"I love you, Kairi, so much!" I said and squeezed her a little tighter.

"I love you too, Daddy!" Kairi said and I couldn't stop myself from planting kisses all over her face. She squealed and started my push my head away. "Daddy! Too many!" She giggled and I planted one final smooch on her cheek before humming in happiness and holding her close.

I was ready for any hard road as long as I had Kairi cheering for me.

A/N: New developments I see! HEHE! Review! 27!

**Dante Must Die: **Thanks for reviewing! It's people who take that extra step to review that keep the updates coming! So thanks a lot!

**RedWords: **So there you have it, Sora's still kinda slow with the uptake of Riku's affections… but I feel like this is how a straight (but actually in the closet) man would react to his best friend slightly kissing him. I hope it was satisfactory!

**Kaoru-chibimaster: **Riku can't help that he's so in love with Sora… he had to kiss him! And yeah, Sora is just an understanding character in this story… I've always thought voice acting was one of the coolest jobs ever… I couldn't resist putting some of it in here. And I'm glad you liked the Russian Accent… it's good that you found it amusing even though it's kind of hard to imagine. Thanks so much!

**Cj Quinn: **Yeah, poor Riku… unrequited love hurts like a bitch! :( Thanks for reviewing!

**Kenshin8923: **Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm really happy that you enjoy my work and find it addicting! The reason I write these kinds of stories is because I'm so tired of not having anything to occupy my time because there is NOTHING on fanfiction that can hold my attention for more than like twenty minutes… I can't tell you how many stories I've filed through and still couldn't finish them because they just weren't what I was looking for. It's a pain in the butt! I'm just glad I can offer you something to successfully occupy your time! Thanks for reviewing!

**One-With-Darkness: **I'm sorry I couldn't give you a substantial kiss, it just wasn't their time yet! XD But I'm glad you love Kairi, for once there's nothing to dislike her for, she's so cute! And yes, the voice that was mentioned doesn't really sound like an old Russian lady… but that's the closest description I can offer… it was a voice that was created on a very long road trip with friends. It's the voice we use whenever there's an awkward silence or an uncomfortable situation, it immediately breaks the ice! But anyway… that's my unexciting and lame story behind that voice XD. And yeah, thunder used to freak me out as a kid… now I think it's cool! But yeah, no one's getting stolen, never fear! Thanks for reviewing!

**Natural Chaos: **Well, I'll do anything to show that I care about you guys! :D And I can't really take any accent seriously now, my little brother and a lot of my friend are actors that have a knack for doing accents and destroying my respect for them… unless of course… they are sexy accents… I like those… haha! XD Thanks!

**Mollyyy: **I'm really happy you like my stories and ideas! Thanks for your encouragement! I hope more people start to think I deserve that many reviews! Hehe! Thanks for reviewing!

**Fluttershy: **Awww! Thanks so much! That means a lot to me that you would say that! Hugs!

**Mudkipluvr4ever: **Thanks! I'm glad you like it! Yeah, Xemnas is a butthead! Hehe! Well, I hope you liked the update!

**Miss Macabre Grey: **See, doing review responses like these are easy! Though I do believe your long and constructive reviews set you above the rest! I think I fixed your corrections this time, let me know if I'm still making the mistakes. Thanks for reviewing!

**Coffemug: **Yes! The romance between our beloved Sora and Riku is beginning to brew! Thanks for reviewing!

**Lone Dragonwolf of the Flames: **Yeah, though I listened to the song a lot… I still get some words wrong. Woops! XD! Thank you so much for your encouragement! I'm glad you keep up with my other stories to… but, I feel like such a failure… I feel really bad for letting you down… I had some ideas for No Running, No Diving… but I couldn't really put them on the paper like I wanted to… so I asked in the summary if someone would like to take over, someone offered, so the continuation of the story is all on her now… I'm really sorry! I would rather stop writing and have someone put real work into the story than try and continue it myself only half-assed… the story didn't deserve something like that… so again, I'm really sorry.

**Formidable Rain: **Yes! Things are heating up! XD And liking when one of the characters is straight doesn't necessarily make you a twisted person… neither does liking drama... there is nothing wrong with thinking messy situations are entertaining… we'd all be sick people if that were true! Hehe! And yeah, I wansn't thinking about it then, but Kairi's fear is almost exactly like Haruhi's… I love Ouran! Thanks for reviewing!

**Riso1991: **Don't worry, the updates will keep coming! Thanks so much for reviewing and being so nice!

**LonelyRedTears: **I actually liked the Chuck E. Cheese pizza more than the actual place… but that's because when I was a kid I liked eating more than anything else! XD Thanks for reviewing!

**CheshyCatGrin: **Thanks for your review! And yeah, I try my best to keep everything relatively correct even without a beta. I'm glad you like the story!

**The Fuzzy Ficus: **Thanks XD! You're so nice!

**(Anonymous): **Yes, don't we all just wish Sora would just throw caution to the wind and jump Riku's bones! Hehe! I'm sure the moment with your uncle and the speaker was really funny! It happened to my mom, that's what I got the idea from. Anyway, thanks for reviewing and I'm glad you like the story so far!

**ZackThePuppy: **Thank your for saying that! Huggles!

**CreepshowCarnival: **Hehe! Yes I did! But don't worry! I hope you liked the review! Thanks for enjoying the story!

**(Another Anonymous): **Yeah, I really love Sora and Kairi's relationship. Thanks for reviewing and I'm glad you like the story!

**TwistedFate108: **Nope, Sora decided to spill to his mother instead! I'm glad you think the story is cute and that you're loving the story! I'm only good at writing fanfiction… publishing a book is WAY too ambitious! But knowing that you would buy it makes me really happy! Thanks!

**TheDisillusionedDreamer: **I'm glad you thought it was cute! Gah! Don't die! I hoped this update was good enough! I don't want you to die!

**Cazzylove: **Aww thanks for reviewing! You've been reviewing my stories for a while now and I really appreciate it! Thanks so much!

**Anon: **Oh my gosh thanks so much! That's so cool that I'm on Tumblr! WOO! Thanks so much for your support! Tell all your tumblr friends that I'm really glad they like my story! :D


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own… I wish I did though… at least the plot is mine.

I love you guys…

Chapter 8

After about a week of figuring out what I'm doing with my life, I realized just how much I had missed out with my mother.

When I had Kairi, I was so set on providing for her all by myself that I had forgotten how much help my mother could be as a support system. But taking the time to sit down and discuss all of my plans with my mother made everything so much easier to face.

And as much as I didn't like some of the things that would happen, I could bare it because I knew that if I gave this opportunity my all, I would succeed in the end.

My mother was going to have to live with us for a while. She would take care of the meals and pick up Kairi when I couldn't. Also, I would have to turn off electrical hot water in order to pay for the more vital living expenses. I knew Kairi was not going to be happy about that.

On another point, the application process for these big agencies was pretty long and cutthroat.

First, you had to fill out the _long _application. Then, you had to send it in with a head shot of the applicant… It was so awkward to ask Tifa to take a picture of me for a job application.

She was happy to do it though… She was a woman of many talents. She could cut hair, manage stores, take good pictures, and bar tend apparently. That was her previous job before becoming manager of Quickie Mart… Kinda seems like a digression but she said she didn't like dealing with so many drunk people at once.

But anyway, if the agency liked you enough, they would ask for a prescreening tape. This prescreen basically was a video of you saying your name, age, and one interesting fact about you. After the introduction, you had to find a monologue and recite it from memory in front of the camera.

It took me forever to find a monologue that clicked. I eventually found this contemporary monologue about a father watching his daughter grow up. It has its funny moments, but there is an underlying sadness in the character that I could understand perfectly. The father was afraid of losing his bright daughter to the darkening ways of the world.

I was very pleased with the way the monologue came out.

After sending that in, you have to wait patiently for a response. If the agency likes you, they'll call you in for an improv session with some of the actors already employed by the agency.

I wasn't really sure what would happen but I would just have to wait and see. The website said I would get a decision email by Friday.

Needless to say, I was freaking the fuck out…

Everything seems to be getting back on track… However, it's been two weeks since I've spoken to Riku. And I promise it's not because I feel awkward about anything, it's just that I've been so busy.

I decided I would call him up today, just to see if he wanted to hang with me. I wouldn't bring Kairi this time even though I knew she missed him. But Riku and I needed to discuss some things and when that was done, if he was up to it, he could come and see Kairi at the apartment.

I sighed and grabbed my phone. I dialed Riku's number and waited for him to pick up.

"Sora?" Riku's voice asked through the phone.

"Yeah, hey Riku, it's been a while," I said with a smile.

"It most certainly has… how are you?" Riku asked in a gentle voice.

I sighed in relief, everything was relatively normal. "I'm great, Kairi and I sure miss having you around, though. Anyway, I was calling to see if you were free to have lunch with me… and if you're up to it, you could come visit Kairi at the apartment," I offered.

"Hmmm, my last client is scheduled at noon. If everything goes well, I should be free to have lunch. I'll call you if anything comes up," Riku replied.

"Awesome, I can't wait to catch up with you then," I said before adding, "I'll see you later. I'll drive to your office and we can figure out where we want to go then."

"That's fine. See you then," Riku said before hanging up.

-Hello, Doctor-

Riku's POV

I hung up the phone and sighed. As much as I was truly, very happy to get a call from Sora, after my control slip two weeks ago, I'm not sure I should risk seeing him again.

"Hey was that Sora?" I jumped at the female voice behind me and I turned to see Naminé smirking at me.

"Oh! Hi Nam, is it time for my next client already?" I asked, trying to evade the subject.

"Don't pull that on me! I know full well that slight blush on your face is from a special someone calling," Naminé gushed and I glared at her.

"If you must know, yes, it was Sora calling. But that doesn't mean anything!" I said.

"Now Riku… I'm your little sister now… it's my job to make sure you're okay. And you are supposed to confide in me when you're not," Nami said with a real smile.

I sighed a second time and looked at her. "I think God is testing me… it's sinful to be this attracted to a straight man," I said.

"Well he called you didn't he? What did he want?" Naminé asked.

"He wanted to catch up and have lunch… the ultimate friends date…" I groaned.

"Now, now… if two people are attracted to each other… even a lunch date can become a romantic one," She said.

"But he's STRAIGHT…" I reminded.

"That doesn't mean a thing! We all know we can't turn straight men gay… but we can however, make straight men do gay things… such as, falling in love with another man. Believe me… it happens a lot," Naminé said.

"Oh really?" I said, disbelievingly.

She nodded. "Yep! And that's exactly what you are going to do. You are going to make him fall so hard for you that he won't want any woman. And it seems that Kairi likes you enough… I mean, if she didn't like you, Sora wouldn't have put so much effort into trying to mend what ever happened between you two."

"I guess you're right… but that seems so underhanded, you know. I just wish he could fall for me naturally. I don't want to force him!" I said.

"Riku… nobody _naturally _falls in love! It's something people have to work at… sometimes for a VERY long time. I know I didn't naturally fall in love with your brother… he definitely have to climb out of that strange nerd shell he trapped himself in and be a man for a few months," Naminé said.

I laughed. "It's good to know that you know the truth about my brother. Dude on the outside, complete turtle genius on the inside." I chuckled. "But it seemed so natural when I fell in love with Xemnas…" I said softly.

"Yeah… and look where that got you… no offense," Nami said with a slight wince.

I shook my head. "I guess you're right…" I mumbled.

"Riku, don't worry about it. All you have to do is be yourself… that and really patient. And believe me, I know you can be patient… I mean, you're a doctor for heaven's sake!" She added.

I nodded. "I am patient… but he's just so cute and such a beautiful person… it makes it _really _hard to hold myself back… and that's not even mentioning the fact that he's fucking gorgeous… those blue eyes just make me melt… and for a daddy he's got a good body… small build but it's got all the right muscles in all the right places…"

"Alright Romeo… before you start drooling on the desk… why don't you prepare for your client?" Naminé said with a smile.

I shook myself out of my fantasy and sighed. It was time to come back to earth and do my job.

-Hello, Doctor-

Sora's POV

"Hey, Mom? I'm going out to eat lunch with Riku… can you watch Kairi while I'm gone?" I asked.

"Sure thing… now remember not to be insensitive… I know how you get sometimes," My mother called back and I frowned.

"I'm not insensitive!" I said.

"Just go have lunch, kid." My mother said and I smiled.

"Okay…" I said and moved towards the door.

"Daddy! I'm coming too!" Kairi called and ran towards me, struggling to put on her shoes.

"No, Kairi-cat. You have to stay here and keep Granma company," I said and Kairi pouted.

"But I haven't seen Riku in a long time! He's my friend too!" Kairi said and stomped her foot.

I frowned. "I won't have any of that Kairi Jane… be good for Granma," I said and moved to the door again.

"Daddy!" Kairi cried and grabbed my hand. "I wanna go! Please!"

"Kairi stop it… I need to meet with Riku alone today, you'll see him soon enough," I said.

"B-but… _I want to see him now!_" Kairi burst into tears and fell to the floor, her loud cries pulling on my resolve.

"_I miss R-Riku! H-he doesn't like m-me anymore! I want R-Riku b-back!" _She cried loudly and my eyes widened.

I really could be insensitive… without even realizing.

I didn't even think about how Kairi would feel to make a new friend and then not see him for two weeks… for a little girl, two weeks was a really long time. She must have thought Riku forgot all about her. She wasn't just having a tantrum… she was really upset.

I sank down to the floor next to her and pulled her close. "I'm sorry, baby… I'm just going to lunch with Riku and then I was going to take him back to see you. I didn't want to tell you because there's a chance he might have to go back to work. Riku doesn't dislike you… in fact, I'm sure he loves you just about as much as I do… it's pretty hard not to. You're just so cute!" I chuckled and Kairi wiped her face on my shirt…

I was going to have to clean that off…

"R-Riku might come back here?" Kairi asked, her teary blues filling with hope.

"Maybe… how about I call Granma when I find out, huh? Will that make you feel better?" I asked.

Kairi nodded and held onto me for a second longer before standing up. "You really think he loves me?" Kairi asked.

I thought for a second. "I think so… but I guess that's something else I can ask," I said.

"Well then what are you waiting for! Get out!" Kairi yelled with a giggle and pushed me towards the door.

I laughed. "Alright, alright! I'm going!" I opened the door and waved at Kairi before getting into my car and leaving.

It didn't take very long to get to Riku's work place. I got out of the car and walked inside.

"Hey there stranger!" A familiar voice called out and I turned to see Naminé.

"It's been a while… did you have the wedding yet?" I asked.

"Yes! I'm now Riku's sister-in-law… it's awesome and awkward at the same time," she said with a tiny snort.

I chuckled… she was so cute. "I'm sure it is…" I said and looked around for Riku.

"Riku is finishing up right now, actually. He asked me to greet you when you came and tell you that he's almost done," She finished.

"Thanks for letting me know… I'll just sit in the waiting room," I said and moved to an empty seat.

"There's no need. I'm all done. Let's get going, I'm starving!" Riku said with a smile and I turned to return the smile.

"Where do you want to go?" I asked.

"There's a new place down the street that I wanted to try… Do you like Japanese?" Riku asked.

"I'm one of those people who kind of eats anything…" I said and scratched the back of my head with a sheepish grin.

"Well that's good. It'll be my treat. I really want to see if this restaurant is authentic enough to be called Japanese," Riku said and I frowned.

"No way! Japanese or not! I pay for my own food!" I said.

"Sora… do we have to go over this all over again? Just let me pay for the food and all you have to do is enjoy it, end of discussion. You can pay for the next time this happens," Riku said.

I grumbled. "I'm not getting anything fancy…"

Riku laughed and we moved out of the office.

"So do you think you'll be able to find the time to visit Kairi afterwards? The poor girl misses you like crazy… she burst into tears when I told her she couldn't come to lunch with us," I said.

"Yeah… to be honest… I've been missing you both… but I just got so busy with work… I couldn't find the time to get in touch with you," Riku said.

"Same on my end… when we get to the restaurant I'll tell you about it," I said.

"Well it's a good thing the restaurant is literally right there…" Riku replied and pointed to the new building a block down the street.

I smiled. "Well let's go! Didn't you say you were starving?" I asked as I moved quickly down the sidewalk.

"What's got you all excited?" Riku asked.

"If the restaurant looks this good from the outside, then the food must be fantastic!" I exclaimed and grabbed Riku's wrist before pulling him with me.

Riku laughed. "You looked just like Kairi at that moment."

I smiled. "Well, what can I say? Like daughter, like father…" I paused and frowned, " that doesn't sound as cool backwards…"

"No… it doesn't," Riku said as we entered the restaurant.

It was only when we reached the table that I realized I hadn't let go of his wrist. I released it gently as to not draw attention to it and moved to my seat.

We ordered our drinks and I sighed. "You'll never guess what's happened over the past two weeks…" I started and Riku cocked his head to the side in question.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Well… I talked to my mom about it and… I decided to give it my best shot in voice acting. Everything has gone well pretty much… but the hard part doesn't really start until after I get the email on Friday," I said.

Riku's eyes widened. "Really? You're gonna try? Sora, I'm so happy for you! I know you can do it!" Riku beamed and I felt myself relax.

I knew it would be a good idea to tell Riku about it. I knew he would be supportive and happy that I was trying for my dreams. That smile could make anyone's day seem so much brighter…

Wait a second…

What the fuck was I thinking?

"Sora, are you okay?" Riku asked and I shook my head.

"Yeah… just hungry," I said with a smile.

"So you're getting an email on Friday? What is the email for?" He asked.

"Well, if they like my prescreen tape… they're going to send an email with an audition date on it. If they don't like me, then they will tell me to look for employment elsewhere. If this doesn't work out, I'm going to apply to another agency I liked after working to pay for the application and audition fees," I explained.

"Wow, I didn't think the process was so long." Riku said.

"Yeah… and if the agency hires me. I have to train before I can even get one paying job. It's a hard process but you and my mom have my back… so I know Kairi and I will be okay," I said with a smile.

Riku returned the smile. "Of course."

"Can I ask you a question? It's probably going to be a little odd…" I said.

"I'm a doctor… I get odd questions all the time… ask away," he replied.

"Now that I think about it… I have two odd questions… are you sure you still want me to ask?"

"Yes, Sora. Go ahead and ask the odd questions," Riku said with a chuckle.

"Well… I ask the less odd one first… Kairi and I were talking and this question came up… Do you love Kairi? I know it's a lot to ask… but I was just curious as to whether or not she has charmed you completely, yet," I asked.

Riku sat and thought for a second. "Yeah… being away from you both was pretty hard actually. A good portion of my day usually is spent thinking about you and Kairi… Do people usually get attached to children this quickly? Does that make me really weird?" He asked.

"No, not at all! I'm glad you love Kairi. It seems she wants you to be a permanent part of her life… so you having fatherly affections for her only makes it easier," I said.

"And the other odd question?" Riku urged.

"Well… about two weeks ago… um, did I… well did I make it seem as though I wanted you to kiss me… I thought about it a lot when you were gone and I suddenly realized if I had accidently lead you on or gave you the wrong impression… I felt really _bad… _you seemed so guilty and so torn about what happened that when I realized it very well could have been my fault… I wanted to make sure everything was okay… and if I end up doing it again… just… I don't know… warn me or something… I don't want to create a rift between us… You're such a good friend to me, you know…" I babbled nervously. It was an awkward spot to put Riku in and it was an awkward spot to put myself in… but if I wanted any peace on the subject, I was going to have to grin and bear it.

Riku laughed and shook his head. "It was a momentary lapse of control… and I apologize for it. If I am to be completely honest with you… I've developed feelings for you… but I promise, I won't let them get in the way of our friendship… you and Kairi mean a whole lot to me… so I don't want to risk losing you two."

I flushed extremely red and coughed. "Riku… there are many other _way _better looking and just… _better _fish in the sea!" I said.

"No… Sora, you're just about the best there is… sweet, caring, funny, attractive, confident but humble, the list goes on, my friend…" Riku said.

"Wow… my mother says I can be really insensitive and I have to say she's right…" I said.

"Well, everyone has their negative points too. You can be insensitive sometimes… but that's because in some situations you can be really dense… but that can be cute sometimes," Riku said.

I blushed deeper. "I say we leave this subject… I was thinking Friday you should come over and be there when I open up that email… that way, if it's good news, we can celebrate… and if it's bad you can support me while I mourn and probably drink myself to sleep…" I said and Riku laughed.

"Sounds fun, I'll be there," He replied jovially.

-Hello, Doctor-

When Riku and I reached the apartment. I smiled when I saw Kairi waiting outside by the door.

"Riku! Riku!" She yelled excitedly as my mother opened the door.

I watched with a smile as Kairi ran out and latched herself onto Riku's leg. "I missed you so much! Why didn't you come to see me anymore?" She asked.

Riku scooped her up and planted a tiny kiss on her cheek. "I was really busy with work, Ri-chan. But I'll have a little bit more free time now and then to come see you. I promise. I would miss you too much if I didn't. And guess what, Ri-chan?" Riku asked.

"What?" my daughter asked.

"This Friday, I'm coming back to see if your dad got the audition at the agency he wants to work for!" Riku said excitedly.

"Yay! Riku's gonna visit me again!" Kairi exclaimed.

"Mom… what's Ri-chan?" I whispered.

"Riku is Japanese, right? I think -chan is an honorific usually used for addressing kids… I think it's cute."

"It is… actually…" I said after hearing it a third time.

We all moved inside and I watched quietly as Riku and Kairi conversed. I wasn't even really paying attention to what they were talking about. I was really just watching how they interacted.

I smiled when Riku made a face after having his hair tugged. Riku's eyes sparkled when he looked at Kairi. You could tell he really enjoyed spending time with her.

Riku was such a nice guy. Kairi smiled as she took Riku's gentle hands in hers.

"Riku's hands are really big!" Kairi giggled.

"My Otou-san had really big hands too… they come from his side of the family," Riku said softly.

"Otou-san?" Kairi asked.

"My dad…" Riku specified.

"That's a really strange name!" Kairi snorted and I was about to make her apologize for being rude when Riku laughed.

"My father's name was Kazuhiro… not that that is any less strange in America… but Otou-san is father in Japanese. You could call Sora Otou-san instead of Daddy but I don't think that would be as cute," Riku said with a smile.

"Do you know Japanese?" Kairi asked.

"Yep," Riku answered.

"How do you say… Kairi in Japanese?" she asked and Riku answered.

"Kairi… your name doesn't change much… especially you and your dad's because they are already Japanese names," Riku explained.

"Really… I had no idea..." I said.

"Actually… Kairi is a variant of the word sea. Kai is another pronunciation of the word umi, which means sea. And your, Sora, name is the Japanese word for sky… Sora… they're beautiful names," Riku said.

"Wow, I had no idea… did you know that Mom?" I asked.

"Well… you're father picked that name for you. But I looked it up and found the meaning later," She said.

"That's cool! Kairi, you and I are sky and sea! The perfect match!"

"Might I add that my name actually means land? So all three of us together make land, sky, and sea… I think that's really cool," Riku said.

"Ha! It's like we were meant to be together, huh, Kairi-cat?" I smiled down at my daughter and she beamed up at me.

"Yeah!"

We all laughed together for a while before calming down. Riku stood and hugged Kairi. "I have to get back to work. I'll see you guys soon though, I promise." He looked at Kairi seriously when he said this and I smiled.

I was really glad he wanted to be around for Kairi and I. I walked over to him and gave him a small hug. "I'll see you later, dude. Drive safe, okay?" I said.

"Sure. It was great meeting you Mrs. Smith," Riku said as he moved towards the door.

"Please, call me Jane." My mother said with a smile.

"Of course, I'll see you all later," He said before leaving.

There was a silence after he left the apartment.

"I think I would like him better than any girlfriend you will ever get…" My mom said and I groaned.

"That's not funny, Mom. I'm not gay!" I said.

"I know, I know…" she dismissed and I grumbled before kissing Kairi and going into my room.

I needed a good nap.

A/N: 28 reviews for this chappie! Thanks so much! Let's try for even more! Keep them reviews comin'!

**Lone DragonWolf of the Flames: **Thanks so much for your support! And yes, Sora needs his change to shoot for the stars! Thanks for reviewing!

**Anon: **Yess! I'm glad you liked that line, it gave me the giggles when I thought of it. Thanks so much for your kind words and your review! :D

**XxTaintedxDaggerxX: **THANKS!

**Hellur: **Yay! You're the second person to be amused by that line… I thought it was great too, if I do say so myself! Hehe! Thanks for the review!

**CreepshowCarnival: **Hehe! YES! Sora must follow his dreams! And thank you so much! (blushes) You are so nice! … 'Commands and Caresses' huh? I've never heard of it… but now I'm going to seek it out… it must be good! You're welcome and thank YOU for being awesome!

**PearlsXofXsin: **I hope this bit of Riku POV was enough to keep you until the next time! And yes, I kind of made Kairi a genius five-year-old but that what makes her extra amazing! D'oh! It's when I read fics with children in it that make me want children! The little tykes are so inspiring! And yes, the ball with roll! :D

**RedWords: **Thanks for reviewing, and you shall see what happens soon!

**CheshyCatGrin: **Hehe! Thanks for being so supportive! I think I might mike a 5-year-old Kairi fan club, she's just so cute! Anyway, I hope you liked the update and I will hear from you soon, I hope! :D

**Miss Macabre Grey: **Yeah, sorry I foiled your plan… I just wanted everyone to know they're words are appreciated! Hehe, yes, my comment about food is still relatively true! I hated mushrooms when I was a kid, I kinda like them now if you cook them in certain ways! Oh and PMs are great… I have the worst phobia of all things arthropod or anything that even looks like an insect… (small spiders are kinda cute though but I can't have them on me) so don't send any locusts! I would probably faint XD Don't worry the updates will come! There's no need to hack my computer… KAIRI WILL NEVER GET CANCER! Just making that clear… the other ones though, you'll just have to find out! Hehe! Anyway, thanks so much for your amazing reviews!

**Mudkipluvr4ever: **Thankies for reviewing! I'm glad you liked it! Sora still has a little while before he's going to finally realize something, but don't worry! But, the reason I'm not just doing PMs is because I can't reply to anonymous reviews, and a good portion of my fans review anonymously, that's why I'm starting to reply on here. I used to just reply though PMs for my other stories and just not reply at all to the anon reviewers but for this one I want everyone to feel appreciated, you know what I mean? Thanks a lot for the advice though and thank you so much for your review! :D

**Kaoru-chibimaster: **I'm glad everyone wants Sora to follow his dreams! It makes me so joyful! :D And don't worry for Sora, he'll figure out his shit eventually. And Sora's mother, Jane, is an original character. She's not insignificant, but yeah, her identity wasn't super crucial to the story if that makes any sense. Anyway, I hope you liked the update!

**One-With-Darkness: **Awww! That's so cute! XD And yeah, it's cute when the uke is a little oblivious, but when he's completely clueless the whole way through it makes me want to shoot myself in the face… Yes, Kairi is adorable! Hehe! Thanks for the review!

**Roxas: **Thanks for the love… and guess what, you're gonna be in the story soon!

**Zookie: **I never really thought of it that way… surprisingly I made him more like the game character than I thought! How insightful! Thanks! Aww, you're words make me happy! Thanks for the review!

**Dreamy Duskywing: **Thanks so much! I feel like you are the only one who understands the way I write. And you are just so nice to me that I just love you! Thank you so much! It makes me happy that you know you and your mom could have a good relationship even if something so major happened in your life. And Sora's mom is funny because she actually wants Sora to be in love with Riku. And don't worry about rambling because I am the rambling queen and that's really all I do! Hehe! Thanks again for everything!

**Little pickle: **YESSSSSSSS! I love that people found that line amusing… I thought I would be the only one to find it funny because I'm so easily amused, but you guys like it too! YEY! And yes! STALK THIS STORY! Thanks for the review!

**Nacht Schleier: **Hehe! Thanks! I hope you liked the update! PS. ARE YOU GERMAN? I LOVE GERMANS! (but even if you weren't German I'd still love you for reviewing and being so nice!)

**YaOiPrInCeSs16: **(Fist pumps with you) YES! GO SORA! I don't think Sora would appreciate it if you abducted Kairi… he's probably try to kill you… but don't worry I would save you and then make Sora share Kairi. And yes, someone needed to say what we were all thinking… yes, there were times when I just wanted to have them smex it up but I decided I would wait on that! Hehe! Thanks for your review! :D

**Coffemug: **Yess! All mothers should support gays! Woo! Thanks for the review!

**SasuIchi4ever: **I'm glad this story made your day and I hope you liked the update! Thanks for your review! :D

**Muffy: **Yay! People like my original mom character! And Sora needs to go after his dreams so the plot will thicken! And thanks, I try to make things as realistic without making it boring! XD

**The Fuzzy Ficus: **That's how I feel everyday when I update this story! Hehe! Sora just needs to look inside himself and realize that Riku is the one for him… THE END! Hehe! Is it weird that when you held up Kairi, I immediately thought of the Lion King and Rafiki lifting up Simba? Hehe! I'm so silly! Thanks for the review and the waffle! YOU KNOW THE WAY TO MY HEART! I FRIKKIN LOVE WAFFLES! ###########!

**Rider: **Yeah, we all know Kairi is too cute and cuddle and sweet to be mean to her Daddy! Thanks so much for appreciating my writing! :D

**Cazzylove: **Hehe! Yeah, Sora's mom is an interesting person! Thanks so much for the review! And I will take that love, peace, and chocolate and I will share it with the world! XD

**Starfox/Blackpantherwolf: **WHO ARE YOU! You're two people at once! HEHE! Yay! I'm glad you enjoy the story and appreciate it more because it involves your interests. Thanks so much! Thanks for believing in me you guys! I will reach my goal! :D And I'm glad that the KH people are in character, I try really hard even though, I've never actually even beaten the first game! XD I like to watch people play better! Thanks again!

**Susans: **I hope you liked the update! :D

**Formidable Rain: **There was Riku in this chapter! I hope you liked it! Thanks for the review!

**Another anon: **Thanks for the review…


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **The characters, except for the original ones, are hereby disclaimed! Everything else belongs to someone else.

Sorry it's a little late… Today was my designated running today and tomorrow is my voice lesson so I had a lot to do… but at least its out today. I'm currently sweating all over myself as I write this thingy… it's actually kinda gross… (but I am on my way to losing 10 pounds WOOT!) Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 9

I was going insane…

Ever since my mom's stupid suggestion about Riku… I have been doing nothing but thinking about how great Riku is, how awesome he is with Kairi, how nice his smiles are, and how he's honest, and strong, and cool…

I mean, I guess it was nothing too alarming… but it was odd enough to become worrisome. I sighed and sat up on the couch… I had given my mother the bed. Though I must say, this couch was a lot comfier than I thought.

I looked at the clock and realized it was time for Kairi and I to have a bath. Reducing the bathing time also made it a little easier on me. My mother had thirty minutes in the shower and Kairi and I had thirty minutes in the bath.

I think Kairi secretly enjoyed our bath time together. It was a bonding experience that took the place of the Sunday's I spent preparing for auditions and work. It also made the frigid water a little less… bitter.

I walked into my daughter's bedroom and let out a loud sigh. "Oh my sweet sugar plum! It is time for our ice-cold bath together!" I said loudly in an English accent.

I heard Kairi groan from under her covers and I laughed.

"Oh Kairi, it is not that bad!" I replied in the same accent.

"It's too cold!" She piped from under her pillow.

"I'll add some bubbles…" I bribed and Kairi paused in her response.

"Keep talking…" she urged and I snorted.

"I'll make you hot chocolate with your breakfast," I offered.

"Okay… but it has to have marshmallows…" she grumbled and got out of the bed.

I grabbed her and carried her over to the bathroom with a slight groan. "Good lord Kairi, when did you get so heavy?" I asked incredulously.

"I'm not heavy! You're just a weakling! Riku could carry me just fine, he has bigger muscles than yours!" Kairi quipped and I winced playfully.

"Way to stomp on your father's pride, Kai… really… you wound me," I said and put her down. I turned on the water and didn't bother to check the temp… it was always going to be cold…

I added the bubbles and helped Kairi undress… she always got stuck when she was trying to take off her shirt.

Once the bubbles were frothy and the water was high enough. I placed Kairi into the bathtub and I got myself undressed.

When I was entering the cold water Kairi spoke. "Dad?" She started.

"Yes, darling?" I asked and shivered when I was finally all the way in.

"Do you think Riku could be my Otou-san?" Kairi asked in a meek voice.

My eyes widened at the question. "What do you mean, Kairi?" I asked.

"I never wanted another Mommy… I would like it more if I had two dads… it would be… nice if I had you and Riku and Granma as my family… it would be perfect, I think…" She spoke so softly that I almost couldn't make out what she was saying. Kairi shivered from the cold water and I turned her around so that she could look at me.

"Granma says that you love Riku and that you're just too afraid to admit it…" She added quickly before looking away and grabbing the sponge.

I sighed and shook my head. My mother had really done it now. "Kairi… I'm sorry, baby… but I just don't think of Riku that way. He's my best friend and I don't have a problem with him acting as a second father to you… but I can't love Riku like I loved your mommy… Don't listen to what Granma says when she spouts stuff like that and don't repeat it either… do you understand?" I asked.

Kairi's face dropped and she fiddled with the sponge. "Okay…" she replied and I bit my lip.

I hated crushing her hopes like that and it only made me angrier with my mother for even putting something like that into Kairi's head. Something like that could cause a lot of problems.

I kissed Kairi on the head and grabbed the soap. "I think it's time we start washing, don't you think?" I said in her favorite old lady voice.

Kairi laughed a little before handing me the sponge. She and I bathed for a few minutes before getting out.

It was at that moment that I realized it was Friday… the day I would get that email from the agency.

I quickly tied my towel around my waist and scooped Kairi up off the floor. She squealed and I laughed at her surprise. "Kairi! Today's the day I get that special email! Oh God! I think I'm going to explode!" I exclaimed and Kairi giggled.

"That means Riku is coming over today! Yay!" Kairi said and I shook my head at her.

I kissed her cheek and put her down. "You go get dressed… do you know what you are wearing for school?" I asked.

"Yes! I'm practically grown up, I can pick out my own clothes!" Kairi boasted.

"Ohhh, okay! Excuse me, Ms. All-Grown-Up…" I said and knocked on my bedroom door before entering. My mother was reading on the bed.

"There are bagels and cream cheese in the fridge, but if you two want something else, I can whip something up," she said without looking up from her book.

"No, bagels are fine," I said and looked through my drawers for something to wear. I paused for a second and turned to my mother.

"Mom?" I started.

"Yes, darling?" she said and I was suddenly hit with slight déjà vu.

"I don't know if you think it's funny or if you think it's cute or something… but could you please not tell Kairi stuff about me being in love with Riku. I'm not in love with Riku and you're planting ideas in her head that don't need to be there. And you forget about the consequences… what if she had spouted that stuff to Riku? How do you think that would make him feel? Riku is my best friend and I don't want anyone giving him false hopes… that's not right and he doesn't deserve that," I said sternly to let her know that I was very serious.

My mother looked at me for a second before speaking. "You know, as people grow older… they start to lose things… by the end of it all… the only thing they have left is their opinions of things… so they tell them to anyone they can in an attempt to keep parts of them alive… time becomes a precious thing as you reach old age," She said in a pitiful voice and I laughed.

"Are you sure _you_ don't want to audition for this acting agency too? That was pretty nice monologue… sorry Jane, the guilt trip isn't going to work this time," I said and kissed her on the cheek.

My mother chuckled before smacking me on the shoulder playfully. "Go eat and bring your daughter to school! Crazy kids…" She mumbled and I kissed her once more before going to the kitchen to get breakfast ready.

-Hello, Doctor-

The days seem to go by so slowly whenever you needed them to breeze by. When my shift was finally over, I felt like ten years had past before I could step outside the Quickie Mart.

"Call me when you get the news, Sora. If it's good news I'll give you the day off on Monday," Tifa said and I smiled.

"Ooo! That's one thing I never thought I'd hear you say!" I said and hurried off to my apartment.

I was happy to see Riku, Kairi, and my mother waiting for me by the door. I quickly got out of the car and entered the apartment.

"Daddy, are you nervous?" Kairi asked.

I laughed. "Are you kidding me? I think I'm gonna faint…" I said as I slowly carried myself over to my bedroom. I sat at my small desk and woke my computer from sleep mode.

I logged into my email account and gasped when I saw the bold, unread message from 81 Produce.*

"It's right there…" I trailed off in awe. I felt as though my heart was going to explode out of my chest.

"What are you waiting for, son? Open it!" My mother said and I growled.

"Give me a second, okay Mom! I'm literally about to have a panic attack… the last time I was this nervous about something, Kairi's mother was in labor! I just need a moment to compose myself," I said and took a deep breath.

"Sora… come on, no matter what it says… we're all going to be here for you," Riku said and put a hand on my shoulder.

I looked up at him and smiled. "Thanks man… okay… on the count of three…"

"One." My mother started.

"Two…" Riku continues.

"Three!" Kairi and I said together and we clicked the message.

-Hello, Doctor-

Riku's POV

"Congratulations Mr. Smith, we are pleased to inform you that the performance on your prescreen has gotten you an audition at 81 Produce! Sora, you did it!" I exclaimed.

Sora was quiet as he read the email a second time to fully grasp what had happened. "Oh my God… OH MY GOD! Kairi, I did it!" I smiled when Sora swooped up his daughter and planted kisses all over her face.

I never thought I would see the day when I was jealous of a five-year-old…

Sora pulled his mother into a tight hold and I watched quietly as they shared a moment.

"I'm so proud of you, son. All you have to do is this one last audition… I know you can do it!" Jane said to her son and Sora sighed.

"Do you really think I can do it, Kairi?" He asked and Kairi kissed her dad's cheek.

"Of course you can, silly! You're the best!" She yelled happily and Sora laughed.

"That's what I want to hear! There's no way I can lose the job now! Not with you guys supporting me!" He said and I couldn't help but feel as though I had been excluded from that comment.

I let them settle for a moment before speaking. "Congratulations Sora… I knew you could do it," I said with a smile, hoping that my happiness could reach him.

Sora grinned at me before pulling me into a hug. "If it wasn't for you Riku… I wouldn't have even tried… thank you for giving me the confidence to put my best foot forward," he said and I could tell that he meant it.

I sighed inwardly at the feeling of his body against mine. He was so warm… "You're welcome, Sora. I call dibs on your first autograph when you become famous, okay?" I said as I wrapped my arms around him.

"You got it!" Sora laughed and I savored the last few moments of our embrace before he pulled from me and smiled. "I have to call Yuffie! She said I'd get Monday off if I got good news!" Sora piped before moving to grab his phone.

When I felt small hands tugging at my pant leg I looked down and smiled at Kairi before picking her up.

"Are you happy for your dad, Ri-chan?" I asked.

"Yep! He really is the best… isn't he?" Kairi asked and I was taken back by her knowing gaze.

"Yeah… he is…" I said and watched as he spoke excitedly to his boss on the phone.

"I really hope he get's this job… he needs a chance to follow his dreams… he's already happy with Kairi… but to also have a job that he loves… I can't wait to see his smiles then," Jane said and I smiled at her.

"Me too…" I said and moved to the living room. Kairi and I sat on the couch and I yawned.

"Are you tired, Riku?" Kairi asked.

"Only a little… I had to work late last night," I said and Kairi smiled.

"I think I want to be a doctor like you… I want to learn to make people feel better," Kairi said and I beamed at her.

"It's an honor that you would be inspired to follow my humble footsteps," I said and kissed her cheek.

Kairi yawned. "Maybe if I learn to be more like you… I can make Daddy smile like you do…" she mumbled sleepily.

I gave her a puzzled look. "Does your dad smile differently when I'm around?" I asked stomping my hope down as I waited for an answer.

"It just seems like when you're around… he smiles because he really wants to… not because he has to." Kairi rubbed her eyes and I ran a hand through her hair.

"Nemui desu ka, Ri-chan?" I asked.

"Huh?" Her eyes started to droop.

"Are you sleepy?" I repeated in English.

"Umhmm." She hummed and I stood.

"Too much excitement for one day, huh?" I asked and moved to her bedroom.

"I wanted to make sure Daddy got a good email…" Kairi mumbled before yawning again.

"You should be really proud of your dad, Ri-chan. I know that this is partly his dream… but I also know that his main goal in all of this is to give you an even better life. He loves you so much…" I said and Kairi snuggled into her pillow.

"I love my daddy too… and I also love my Otou-san…" Kairi whispered.

"I know you love your dad very much…" I said with a smile.

"No… you're my Otou-san…" she said, her eyes already closed.

I felt my heart soar at her words and I couldn't help but feel like I belonged in this family… though in truth I really was imposing.

"I love you too, Ri-chan…" I said quietly and brushed the hair from her forehead as she slept.

"There you are. I was wondering where you went. I see Kairi finally konked out, huh?" Sora asked and I nodded.

"Yeah…" I said and stood.

"Come on, now that she's asleep I decided to break out the celebratory beers! It's party time!" Sora said excitedly and left the room.

To be honest… I was a little nervous about me being drunk around Sora. But I calmed myself when I realized Sora's mother could stop me if I was trying to do anything stupid.

It turns out I had more self-restraint than I thought. I had just finished my first beer when Sora was on his fifth bottle. To be honest… I think he was really stressed out about all this new territory… I don't think he knew how to deal with it…

So he was trying out a new option… drinking some of it away… and I think he was succeeding.

"Son, I think you've had enough… you've basically gone through an entire six pack." Jane laughed at her son who was most definitely drunk.

"Nah unh! Riku had some too!" Sora spouted with a slur. "Riku's my best friend in the whooooole world! I love him! And I have dubbed him as my blood brother! You wanna be my blood brother Riku?" He asked as he climbed into my lap.

I could feel the heat rush to my face as he wrapped his arms around me and kissed my cheek. "I'm not really sure I can be your blood brother, Sora… don't you have to share blood to be blood brothers?" I asked trying my damndest to reign in my desires while keeping him from falling off my lap.

"That's not true! Right, Ma?" Sora tried to turn in my lap, which only caused friction against my groin. I bit my lip and picked up Sora and stood.

"Whoa! Riku! Haha! Put me down! I'm no princess!" Sora slurred and I placed him back in his chair.

"You should stay put Sora…" I said in warning.

"Riku… maybe I should try and get him to go to sleep… I've never seen him act this way… even drunk," Jane said and I shook my head.

"It's fine… as long as he doesn't get too rowdy, I'll stay till he passes out," I said.

"H-hey Riku…" Sora started and I looked to him with an amused smile. "Yes, Sora," I answered.

"I'm sorry…" My eyes widened at how sincere he sounded.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, buddy," I said.

"N-no! I do… I'm such a dick! Doesn't it hurt to be around me? I-I know what it feels like to love someone who can't love you back… it fucking burns like hell… I just wish… I just wish I could give you what you want… and I'm so, so sorry that I can't be the person you need…" Sora suddenly burst into tears and I was completely at a loss with what to do next.

I looked to Sora's mother. "Uhhh… it's okay, Sora… I'm going to be okay…" I said unsure if I should say that when I wasn't even sure if that was true.

Jane stood. "I think it's bed time for Sora…" She sighed and looked at me. "You know he really means what he says right?" Jane asked and I nodded.

"I know he does… but I don't think he realizes that his kindness is partly what fuels my feelings for him… I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do… God… I'm sorry, Jane. I don't mean to suddenly dump this on you," I said mentally slapping myself for saying that.

"It's fine, son. I really don't think Sora realizes how much you mean to him… the poor kid hasn't had a shoulder to lean on in years, let alone a lover. I say you just have to give it time…" My eyes widened at Jane's words. Was she really saying what I think she was?

"But… Jane… he doesn't like men… isn't Kairi proof enough that he's very heterosexual?" I asked quietly when I realized Sora finally passed out.

"I realize that my son isn't interested in men… but that doesn't mean he can't have feelings for just you… I can already tell… I know my son like the back of my hand. The affections for you are there… you just have to give him time to recognize them," Jane said and I jumped at the tear that fell from my face.

"I pray to God that you're right… he was right when he said these kind of feelings burn… the only reason I bear the pain is because I love Kairi like she were my own. She called me Otou-san today… I don't think I ever felt happier at that moment," I poured out my feelings to Jane. My parents died in Japan a long time ago… it had been so long since I could talk to anyone about things so personal.

Jane pulled me into a hug and I sighed. "I'm glad… why don't you head on home… I'll deal with the mess that is Sora right now. Just know that, Kairi and I are rooting for you," Jane winked and I laughed.

"That's good to know. Goodnight, Jane." I said and cast one glance at Sora before leaving the apartment.

***81 Produce** is actually a real Japanese voice talent agency. I don't own that!

A/N: Review my lovelies! I have to begin working on Cantabile and The Pack Two because those poor stories have been deprived.

**Roxas: **I promise you could never be evil… not in my stories! :D

**Justice: **I hope you liked the update. There will be more up eventually!

**Blood: **I'm glad you are happy! That makes me happy! I hope you liked the new chappie!

**Sora: **You're getting there! I promise!

**CreepshowCarnival: **Hehe, my sister had the same reaction. She was like "Riku! You sly dog!" Anyway, I'm glad you like and thanks for your review!

**Nami1415: **I'm so happy that you love it! I try my best! :D

**One-With-Darkness: **Hehe! Yeah, I just think that's so witty! They're perfect together! Thanks so much for the review!

**Miss Macabre Grey: **Thanks so much for your review! The auditioning process gets a little bit more detailed later on but it's nothing too confusing or boring. And yeah, Riku's POV comes a little bit more later but its mostly Sora's life so that's why he doesn't ever dominate a chapter. And yeah, I'm glad you notice Kairi's name thing… My family is all about putting Grandparent's names as middle names. That why I did that… and Jane is an OC but feel free to give her a British accent if you want! Anyway, we all just need a bit more patience… they aren't going to kiss… not yet! Hehe! I'm evil like that! Anyway, thanks again!

**Anonly: **Yes! This is a beautiful name! Now I won't get confused! And I can update quick because I have all the way up to 24 prewritten… once we get past that mark, I'll probably have to slow down XD. Yay! I'm glad you thought the Ri-chan thing was cute, I do too! Yeah they make a cute family… we just need a little more patience. And yeah, Sora's mom is a trip! Thanks for reviewing!

**Cj Quinn: **YES! You're mom is awesome! My mom isn't really like this, but if I were gay, she wouldn't care… she'd probably would be like, "I have to other daughters for grandchildren, don't worry about it!" She's funny like that. Thanks for your review!

**Nacht Schleier**: I thought Mozart moved to Vienna though at some point? Didn't he like… die there? Anyway, unimportant! Thanks so much for your review and I'm glad Austria is such a great place to be! Haha, I wanna learn Arabic! Sounds like a party! :D

**Muffy: **Awww, I like replying to all my adoring fans! Hehe! And yeah, I really love writing about the relationship between father and daughter (both biological and non-biological fathers) I think it's a great thing to explore and I guess I like writing it so much because of the little memories I have of my dad when I was little. (I don't mean that in a tragic way, my dad's alive and happy and such) But now that I'm all grown up it's nostalgic to think back… anyway thanks so much for the review!

**Kurami-chan: **Aww shucks! (blushes) Thankies! It makes me happy that you like the way the characters are in this story. Yeah, Sora's getting there! He'll fall in love eventually! And with Riku's past, I personally don't know anyone who's been in an abusive relationship… Sora's opinion is basically my opinion on the subject, you should never hit your loved ones… ever! And don't worry, I don't mind hearing good things over and over… it's bad stuff that I'd rather not see repeat. XD Thanks for your review!

**JKW351**: I will tell you this again…. **I LOVE FANART**… that is all I will say… I will not push you… :D

**Mudkipluvr4ever: **YAY! I'm glad you liked it! I hope you liked the update too! Thanks!

**Coffemug: **I KNOW! SORA IS SO DENSE SOMETIMES! But don't worry my friend, in due time… in due time… :D

**Dante Must Die: **Yay, I'm happy that you like Riku in this story… I mean, he can't be a buttface all of the time… I figured I needed to show his sweet side! XD Thanks for the review!

**Lightmaster: **You're okay… don't worry… I hope you liked the update! :D

**Kaoru-chibimaster: **I don't mind if you don't sign in, as long as you give me your feedback all is well! Oh my gosh you called Sora a derp! LOLZ! Don't worry, Sora will get there eventually! And yeah you're right… I really do need to update my other stories… (sigh) so much work to do, so little time! Dude! I want some Japanese food so bad! I guess I could make some but that would take to long… I really want some Katsu don…. YUM!

**The Fuzzy Ficus: **Yeah, I know… for once I'm writing a story where the character don't get together within the first ten chapters… it's a super accomplishment on my part I think. Riku and Sora will get there eventually! Thanks for the review! * gives a peace sign (V for victory!) anime style * hehe!

**CheshyCatGrin: **Thanks for the review, my friend. Don't worry! I shall always reply to the reviews I see before the next update.

**Dreamy Duskywing: **Yeah, Sora is brave but not brave at the same time… he's an interesting character. And yes, they make one happy family! Thanks for the review and all Manda Pandas shall stand strong!

**Cazzylove: **Thanks for the review, Cazzy!

**Emma: **Have patience my dear, Emma… they will get together in due time…

**Eric: **Thank you for your review… though I wish you had given me some feedback… I appreciate your comment anyway!

**Mansex: **It's really Xemnas right? Sorry you are evil… you are actually one of my favorite characters… but sadly you needed to be bad in this story!

**Update: **Thanks for you're review!

**28: **Here's your update… that wasn't too hard to wait for was it?

**Rude: **Thanks so much for your back up… 28 was just a little eager, but I was sleeping when he/she reviewed so… Yeah, I know I gotta update those too… I just get so excited about all the feedback I'm getting in this story! Thanks for your support! Don't worry, all my stories are saved in Word documents so they are safe. And yeah, you're awesome! I wish I could speak Japanese… actually… if I could just read it, I would be grateful but kanji is like super confusing to me!

**Natural Chaos: **It's all good, don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're back! :D DON'T BE AFRAID TO LIVE YOUR LIFE! Hehe! Thanks for the review!

**Ohhh baby Derp that Herp: **Oh my gosh… I have no idea what your name means but it's funny! Thanks so much for the review… Axel and Roxas are going to be in the story… but I haven't thought of putting any Akuroku in the story… this is mainly a story about Sora's life… so it would be sort of out of place, you know? But maybe a little in the future won't hurt. :D Lolz… I don't understand some of your review but I still appreciate it! XD

**Riku: **Thanks for the review! I hope you liked the update! :D

**Ldrmas: **I hope you liked the update! Thanks so much for the review!

**Little pickle: **I'm glad you love it… I love you… seriously I love little pickles… they're amazing and yummy! I hope you liked the update! :D


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own except for original characters (Jane) and the plot!

Hey everyone, I think there was a little bit of confusion for some of you… the email Sora got was only for an audition, he did NOT get the job. He is going to audition for the job in this chapter.

Chapter 10

After a weekend of getting over a hangover and relaxing my mind, it was now Monday… Though Tifa kindly gave me the day off, I decided I would schedule my audition for this date.

Kairi and I took our bath before getting dressed. After having breakfast I turned to her… "So Kairi, would you like to join my in my pre-audition exercises before I take you to school?" I asked.

"Yeah!" Kairi giggled and I stood.

"Okay, first we get those lips loose with some lip trills!" I trilled a couple of times and I laughed when Kairi was having some difficulty. "Okay why don't we roll our R's next. What you have to do is place your tongue behind your teeth… got it Kairi?" I asked to make sure she was ready.

"Nnnhnn," She hummed with her tongue in place.

"Now all you have to do next is relax your tongue and let the air flow. You can make a noise to help with the air flow," I said and rolled my R's for a couple of seconds.

Kairi gave me a determined look before following my lead and my eyes brightened with pride when she succeeded. "Yes! My daughter is a genius!" I boasted and Kairi laughed.

"You're just figuring that out now?" Kairi asked and my eyes widened.

"You never cease to amaze me, love. Really…" I said and smiled. "It's time for the 'how now brown cows.' Repeat after me…" I snorted as I began to say the four words… I don't think many real actors actually used that line to prepare themselves.

"I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit… upon the slitted sheet I sit," I said a couple of times before saying it faster.

I laughed as Kairi tried to follow me. "I slit the sheet, the shleet I shlit… upon the slitted seat I shit!" Kairi tried to copy and I burst into laughter.

"Kairi! You naughty girl!" I shouted through my laughter. "You are the light of my life, little one," I said and kissed my daughter on the head.

"I love you, Daddy…" Kairi said and I held her close.

"Everything I do Kairi… I hope you realize it's always for you," I said and Kairi smiled.

"I hope you do things for yourself too, Daddy…" she said and I smiled.

"You're right," I said.

There was a knock on the door and I turned to see Riku standing by it. I smiled and opened the door for him. "What's up, Riku? Did you forget something on Friday?" I asked.

"No… I came to wish you a broken leg before I head to work. I don't ever think I've been so nervous for someone else in my entire life before." Riku chuckled and I smiled.

"Thanks man, I'm kind of seconds away from pissing myself in fear… but I know I'll do a good job with my three favorite people in the whole world supporting me. So thank you for coming… it means a lot," I said, truly grateful for Riku's never ending support.

"Break a leg, Sora. I'm sure you'll knock 'em dead. I'll see you later. Call me if you need anything," Riku said before heading back towards his car.

"Otou-san! Wait! Ri-chan wants to give you a hug before you go!" I watched with shock as Kairi ran through the door and up to Riku. I had never her seen her so… I didn't even really know how to put it… she seemed really excited and genuinely happy to see Riku.

I stood by and watched as Riku scooped Kairi up and pulled her into a hug. I shook my head. "She really wasn't lying when she said she'd be happier with two dads..." I said to myself.

"So you know what you have to do then, don't you?" I jumped when my mother's voice sounded next to me.

"Not this again… please leave it alone," I said and smiled when Riku planted a kiss on Kairi's forehead.

Riku did have the makings of a really cool dad… not that I would ever tell him that.

"I'll see you later, Ri-chan. Be good for your father while I'm gone," Riku said and I laughed.

"Alright, I think it's time for my wife to head off to work now, Kairi," I joked and Riku laughed.

"That did sound a little motherly, didn't it?" Riku said before getting in his car.

Kairi and I waved Riku off as he drove away.

"I think it's time for you to go to school!" I said and Kairi cheered.

"I have to tell Zell about my Otou-san!" Kairi said and I decided I wouldn't break such a happy spirit by telling her that was probably a bad idea.

I drove Kairi to school and I asked for one last hug and kiss for good luck before heading off to 81 Produce for my audition. I took a deep breath before entering the building.

"Well hello there, you're a new face! Can I help you?" A bubbly voice asked from the front desk and I smiled at the lady sitting there.

"Hi, I'm Sora Smith and I'm here for an audition," I said confidently.

"Wow! That's great! I'm Selphie, the humble secretary. Well Sora, all you have to do is head up to the third floor and knock on the first door to your left. I wish you the best of luck," She said.

"Thanks… I'll need it!" I laughed before moving to the elevator. I was glad the secretary was so nice but that didn't really say anything about the people who actually employ actors. My heart pounded mercilessly as the elevator rose achingly slowly towards the third floor.

When the torture chamber stopped it let out a harmless 'ping!' as the doors opened.

I took one last deep breath before moving to the first door on the left. I knocked and waited for a response.

"Come on in…" said a voice and I opened the door as my heart raced with newfound terror.

"You must be Sora. I'm Cid Highwind and right here next to me is my pal Val-"

"My name is Vincent… Vincent Valentine and we are by no means 'pals,'" He spat the word as if it were poison, I couldn't help but feel as though he would give me the hardest time.

"Don't mind Vinnie… he's usually an asshole… you really have a problem on your hands when he's nice to you," Cid said with a grin.

I smiled at Cid. "Yes, I'll be sure to keep that in mind. I am Sora Smith it's very nice to meet you," I said before sucking up all my fears and beaming at them like Kairi would.

"Well that's a nice confident look… the guy who auditioned yesterday looked like he was seconds away from pissing himself… hehe… didn't be Vinnie?" Cid nudged his partner with an elbow and I couldn't help but giggle when Vincent's blood vessels were just about to explode out of his head.

"My name isn't Vinnie, Highwind, and you would be smart to call me by my God given name…" Mr. Valentine growled.

"Well, let's get started shall we?" Cid began and I nodded.

"Okay!" I said and gave him a determined face.

"I like you already kid, come with me," Cid said and I followed him into the recording room. "As you can see, this has the whole shebang… the mikes, the window, the soundboards… everything that turns your voice into someone else's," Cid explained and I looked around the room in awe...

I knew right then and there that this was where I wanted to be and I would give anything to be here.

"I say we hear some impressions first…" Vincent said looking at me seriously.

"Sounds good, Vince… what kind of voices can you do?" Cid asked.

I blushed. "Basically anything…" I said with a sheepish look.

"Wow… someone's a little over confident…" Cid said and I fidgeted for a second.

"The truth is… if I hear it once… I can copy it. Listen, 'Hey Vinnie, can you pass the broccoli?'" I asked imitating Cid's voice.

Cid and Vincent's eyes widened before they composed themselves. "He's right… that voice sounded just as idiotic as yours, Cid," Vincent said with a smirk.

"That was uncalled for… and it burned…" Cid said.

"I can do his voice too. 'Where is that stupid baffoon with my wine, I ordered it five minutes ago, the waiter should have brought it by now!'" I said wincing when my voice slipped a little at the end.

"That was pretty good… it certainly captured all of Vincent's evil vibes," Cid said.

"Watch what you say, Highwind," Vincent warned.

"I get the feeling he doesn't like me… which is odd because we've been friends for years," Cid said and I laughed.

"Is there anything else you want to hear?" I asked.

"I want to hear things that aren't human. Can you do a machine gun?" Mr. Valentine said, obviously trying to trump me.

"I think…" I said and imagined the sound of a machine gun in my head. After a couple of seconds I regurgitated the sound out loud. It wasn't perfect but it didn't sound pathetic either.

"He can work on that… what about animals? Give me your best bestial growl," Cid said with a grin.

I smiled. That one was easy after copying Beauty and the Beast for so long. I let out a menacing growl and Cid laughed.

"This kid is pretty good don't you think, Vince?" Cid asked.

"You may be taken by him but I haven't been impressed yet… I say we try and type cast him before we invite the actors in," Vincent said.

"Well that's easy… he's definitely fit for shounen anime and kids cartoons. I'd say he'd be all set for young characters in video games as well," Cid said.

"Cid that would be too easy for him… he has to be challenged here or he won't get a decent job anywhere. I was thinking BL recordings…" Mr. Valentine suggested and Cid's eyes widened.

"You think so… well, now that I think about it, that would be a nice challenge," Cid said.

"He's got uke written all over him. But he'd have to get more comfortable around other actors before that could happen… he's only a rookie, remember. He has no credentials whatsoever…" Vincent replied.

What was a BL recording? Uke? I guess I would find out sooner or later if that was going to be part of my type cast.

"Well, first we have to see what he's like with other actors before we can say anything. I say we call them up!" Cid piped before pressing an intercom button. "Will the audition actors please come to the third floor," Cid said before sitting back in his chair.

"So tell us a bit more about yourself… in your prescreen, you told us about a Saturday job a Chuck E. Cheese. That's interesting enough but what else is there to you that makes you who you are?" Vincent asked.

"Well… as you know I'm twenty-one… but I'm also a single dad with a five year old daughter named Kairi. Watching animated movies and cartoons with her is what made me really realize that I wanted to be a voice actor. She was always so amazed by the voices that came out of those animated characters… and after a while I began to notice similarities… two completely different characters with the same voice… but they still remained so different. I thought it was amazing… and I really wanted to be able to do that professionally one day… so here I am," I said.

"That's pretty interesting, Vince… I don't think you could get any more interesting under normal standards. I mean, a twenty-one year old single dad? Who wants to be a voice actor? That just never happens!" Cid said.

"Hey! We're here!" I turned my head to the group of people entering the room.

There was a guy about my height with crazy blond hair and big blue eyes. There was a tall guy with long brown hair and a scar across his face. He had stormy grey eyes that almost unsettled me for a second. And finally there was a really pretty woman also about my height with dark hair and a cheerful aura.

"So this is the guy?" the blond asked and walked over to me. "Hey, I'm Roxas. It's nice to meet you," Roxas said and held out a hand. I smiled and took it firmly.

"Sora, likewise," I said and we shook hands for a second.

"The name's Leon…" the tall brunet said and I smiled at him as well.

"It's nice to meet you, Leon. And the lovely lady is…" I trialed off and waited for an introduction.

"Rinoa… it's nice to finally meet you. I heard the board members were impressed by your monologue. I'm glad I can finally put a name to a face," She said and shook my hand.

"Well now that introductions are done, let's get crackin'! Why don't all of you go inside the recording room and stand in front of a mike. First we are going to do some improv and then I will give you all five minutes to look over a script before playing it out. So for the improv… all four of you are old friends meeting at a high school reunion. Roxas and Rinoa actually had a fall out before graduation and Sora tries his best to keep the peace. Leon, however, has bitter feelings towards Sora because he knows Sora has always loved Rinoa, who he is currently dating. Sound good?" Cid asked.

We all looked at each other and nodded.

"Begin…" Vincent spoke.

"Wow, it certainly has been a very long time, Sora! The last time I saw you, you were a foot shorter! And look, you have contacts!" Roxas said into his mike and I smiled.

"Well, that mostly has to do with the law firm I work for. They want all of their employees to look clean-cut and perfect. I actually really hate these damn contacts… their like hell to put on," I said and laughed.

"Oh great…" Roxas trailed off.

"What?" I asked.

"_She's _here… with Leon," Roxas said bitterly.

I frowned. "C'mon, Rox. I still don't even know what happened to make you hate Rinoa so much. You guys used to be so close…" I trailed off sadly.

"Hey Sora!" Rinoa said cheerily. "Roxas," She continued dryly.

"Rinoa you really should see about getting that face lift procedure your doctor recommended. You're looking a little worse for wear," Roxas said and I almost laughed when I saw him picking at the dirt underneath his fingernails.

"Hey now, Roxa-"

"There's no need for that, Leon thinks I look beautiful, don't I, hun?" Rinoa said in a smug voice.

"You're very beautiful… So where are you two working now?" Leon asked.

"I work for the law firm on the west end. I certainly didn't think I would end up being a lawyer when I was in high school," I chuckled.

"No you didn't… you were too busy looking at girls and chasing skirts," Leon said bitterly.

I laughed nervously before calling Rinoa back into the mix. "How have you been Rinoa… I sincerely hope life has been treating you well," I said.

"Oh, why thank you Sora. I've been just fi-"

"I sincerely hope you stop trying to hit on my girlfriend. She never liked you Sora, not even in high school!" Leon yelled and I was almost frightened by the anger in the tone.

"Whoa! I w-wasn't trying t-to-" I stuttered nervously.

"Why is it that everyone liked that stupid bitch better than everyone else? What's so great about her! It's not like her rack is all that great!" Roxas yelled too add to the chaos.

"Oh, shut up Roxas! You're jealous! You've always been jealous because Leon loves me and not you. You're nothing but a filthy homo!" Rinoa screeched and I jumped in as if I were pulling her back.

"Is that what this was all about? A fight over Leon? What about me? Am I just chopped liver?" I said as if slightly offended by my lack of involvement.

"I'm sorry, Sora… you were never man enough to handle me… it's not your fault really," Rinoa said.

"Yeah, so I'd appreciate it if you would give up Sora. She's mine!" Leon said.

"Why do we always have to argue… it wasn't always like this! We used to be friends!" I yelled sadly.

"Well those days are long gone Sora, get over it! And I'm not a filthy homo! Take that back, Rinoa!" Roxas yelled.

"Make me, fag!" Rinoa spat.

"You bitch!"

"Stop!" I yelled as loudly as I could and everyone seemed to freeze. "If those days are long gone, then why are we t-trying to force it? Leon obviously doesn't like me, Rinoa and Roxas hate each other… what the hell are we trying to hold on to? The good times? Our youth? I think it's time we all just grow up and get on with our lives… nothing good will come out of screaming at each other and digging up old feuds. It was nice seeing you all again I guess…" I trailed off.

"And cut!" Cid said. "Very nice guys. What do you think Vince?" Cid asked

"It was nice I guess…" Vincent trailed off.

"Oh! I think you guys impressed him!" Cid said with a grin.

"Great job, Sora! You just inserted yourself there and stood your ground no matter what we threw at you. That's not an easy thing to do," Roxas said.

I blushed. "Awe… thanks," I said.

"You're really cute," Rinoa said and I blushed deeper.

"Thanks… I guess," I said.

"I think it's time to get a script," Leon said and we took one.

I took the script and notice that my character was the King of Windshire. As I read through the character description I smiled. I was the villain.

As it turns out, I have stolen the Princess of Dinford, I'm assuming that's Rinoa, and plan to make her my queen. Roxas is my attendant, Vaughn, and Leon is the knight who tries and succeeds in saving the Princess.

I read through my lines and I couldn't help but love the character I was. I never thought I could play a role like this so I would give it my all.

"Okay… go," Vincent said.

"You can't do this! My father won't let you do this!" Rinoa screeched to give us a big start.

The script was actually much longer when every one is acting out their roles seriously. By the end of it I was completely exhausted.

"Sora… you can be one freaky dude when you want to be!" Roxas said after the audition was over.

I laughed. "I was just getting into character…" I said sheepishly.

"I think you did very well, rookie," Leon said before moving towards the door.

"Thank you, for helping me with this audition… all of you," I said sincerely.

"It was nothing… and besides, we're getting paid to do it!" Rinoa said with a smile.

"It doesn't change the fact that you guys sure knew how to make a newbie feel welcome," I added.

"Well, the best of luck to you, Sora. If Roxas and I were doing the judging, we would have definitely hired you, right Rox?" Rinoa asked.

"Yeah! You were really great! Your portrayal of the king was really great. None of the auditioners ever take it that far," Roxas said.

"Well, I really shouldn't get my hopes up too high… but I sure hope I get accepted. It's so mind boggling to actually try and realize your dreams… it's really crazy," I said.

"Rinoa and I are rooting for you. You usually hear back from the agency after about two weeks at most… Leon said he got his acceptance letter only a week after… lucky bastard!" Roxas said.

"Thanks guys. I better get going. I hope that the next time I see you, I'll be part of this agency," I said.

"Yeah! Have a great day!" Rinoa said and I left the building.

I felt as though I was about to explode again… only this time in happiness. I didn't think that audition could go any better than it did. I was so frikkin' happy!

Riku was gonna be so proud when I tell him! Maybe I could see him right now!

Wait…

Why was I thinking that? Why was Riku the first person that came to mind?

Well it was because Kairi was at school of course… I couldn't disrupt her education just because I was happy about something. And my mother was probably out running errands.

Riku was the only one nearby that I could tell. That's why I thought of him first.

I moved to my car and got in. I quickly drove to Riku's clinic and I could feel my heart race as I climbed out of the car.

It didn't even cross my mind that Riku could still be working.

I entered the clinic and looked around. I spotted Riku talking with Naminé and I felt my heart finally burst from my chest as I shouted. "Riku!"

I watched as Riku looked around the room at the shout and his eyes widened when they landed on me. "Sora, is something wrong?" he asked as I approached and I launched myself at him before pulling him into an embrace.

"I'm sorry, I was just so excited I didn't really know what to do with myself," I said.

Riku chuckled and returned the embrace. "I take it your audition went well?" He asked.

"I don't think it could have gone any better. I just feel so liberated and so excited! Once things started rolling, everything fell right into place. I had never felt so fearless before. I'm just so happy!" I laughed and hugged him tighter. I closed my eyes and let myself go. Riku's hugs made me feel so safe…

"I'm proud of you Sora. You are one amazing person… I'm so happy for you," Riku whispered in my ear and I sighed.

"You are the best…" I said before pulling out of the embrace and beaming at Riku. "I'm sure my mother is going to want to do a celebratory dinner, I'm inviting you if you're free," I said.

"I wouldn't miss it… unfortunately, I have to get back to work…" Riku replied and I blushed.

"Shit! Sorry!" I said quietly.

"No, no… I'm glad you came Sora. I'm happy if I can support you in any way possible," Riku said.

"Thank you… I'll see you later," I said.

"Bye, Sora," Riku said and he moved to get back to work.

I felt heat rise up to my face as I left the clinic. What the heck was that all about? When did I start becoming so strange?

I sighed and shook my head. Today was a good day and I wouldn't let strange thoughts get me down!

A/N: Now you can see things are starting to brew here! Woo! Thanks for your reviews guys. I tried really hard to get an update in for The Pack: Two Tales but I could only get out like 1000 words… (my updates are almost never less than 2,000 words.) So sorry, I'm really gonna try and get my gears going with that but not today. Anyway, please review and thanks so much for your support.

**One-With –Darkness: **Yes! Sora is making some progress! Thanks for the review!

**Kurami-chan:** Awe thanks so much! I'm glad I can evoke such feelings in you! I hope you enjoyed the update!

**Muffy: **Thanks you for your review! I'm glad you are liking the story and that my character are real for you. Hope you liked the update!

**Kenshin8923:** We all hope Sora will get his stuff together. Poor Riku can't take it! Hehe! Thanks so much for your review!

**Nacht Schleier: **Hehe! Is that a challenge I hear? No, I can barely retain the French I learned in high school… I don't think I'd be able to learn any language no matter how easy… Thanks for your review!

**Coffemug: **Yeah, Sora has the ability to be insensitive without really realizing… even when he's drunk. I'm glad you are loving this story! And thanks for such kind words!

**SailorMint: **Thanks so much for your review. I'm glad you like Kairi, she's been received really well for once.

**Kaoru-chibimaster: **HA! So true… partially why I still for the life of me cannot beat the first game… XD Thanks for the review and I hope you liked the update.

**Miss Macabre Grey: **I'm sorry, Sora needs a bit more time… he'll get there I promise! And yeah, I understand where you come from with Sora's mother, but she feels she needs to include Kairi because though Sora and Riku haven't gotten together, Jane feels absolutely certain that it will happen and she wants Kairi to be prepared and hopefully be the last key to putting them together. I won't lie and say there isn't something coming soon… but yeah no one is getting cancer or dying… other bad stuff is still fair game… Anyway, thanks so much for the great review (the length was just fine) I appreciate reviews of all lengths!

**Anonly: **Hehe! Thanks for your review! I try to update when I have the time, since its summer I sometimes have a lot of free time, and sometimes I get caught up in other things. I hope this update was a good enough portrayal of the audition process! HAHA! My brother used to have really poofy hair too! Thanks again!

**Lone DragonWolf of the Flames: **Thanks for your words of advice… though I really do like the way the prewrite is right now, if there really is a need for change, I'll be sure to keep your words in mind. Wait just a bit longer on The Pack Two… I have to get my thoughts in order.

**Mudkipluvr4ever: **Thanks! I'm really happy that you like it! And yeah, Sora is one of those touchy and emotional drunks. And about the bathing thing… even though they are supposedly in America in this story… in Japan it's completely normal for fathers and mothers to bathe with their children until they reach a certain age… and the concept to me is kinda nice… It takes a certain sort of closeness to be able to do something like that… and I was just trying to portray that sort of closeness between Sora and his daughter, in that Sora and Kairi can both be completely bare and honest with each other. And that's why Kairi takes the time to confess her feelings about family in that setting and not when they are eating breakfast or on the ride to school… does that make any sense? Anyway… enough with the technicalities! Thanks a lot for your review!

**The Fuzzy Ficus: **Yeah! WOOT! Thanks Fuzzy!

**Animesaki: **Well… as you can see, I had other uses for Leon… but that doesn't mean that Cleon can't exist in this story! (aka… I probably won't be able to resist XD) Thanks for the review!

**Ldrmas: **Yay! I'm glad that you are excited for my updates! Thanks for the review!

**MrCoopCake: **Awe thanks! Now… let's not get ahead of ourselves… I'm not gonna say anything about Kairi's birth mom… you'll just have to wait and see on that one :D! And you are one of many who will only ever like Kairi in this story… I think it's because she's not posing as a threat to Sora and Riku's relationship, in fact, she encourages it… which makes her a bit more likable in the end. And thanks for the delicious COOKIE!

**PearlsXofXsin: **Sora does only work with Yuffie on Saturdays… he works with Tifa on Mondays through Fridays… did I not make that clear? Did I type the wrong name somewhere… because I wouldn't doubt it if I did… Yay! I pulled on your heart strings! And yes Jane will save the day! XD Thanks for the review!

**CheshyCatGrin: **HAHA! Yeah! Fight the power! Anarchy at the Library! You're not being naughty, it's only naughty if you get caught! Hehe! Thanks so much for your review!

**DeViLaNgEl11: **Awe thank you for your kind words! I really do love to explore father/daughter relationships… I think they are touching! :D I hope you liked the update!

**Natural Chaos: **Yeah, that's Sora for you… still pretty much nice and bubbly in every state of mind, even intoxicated! Thank you for the review!

**Cj Quinn: **Sora is slow, but I feel that's a bit more realistic than for him to be like… "Hey this guy makes me feel all tingly inside… I must be romantically attracted to him even though I've been attracted to girls all my life…" seems kinda strange, right? But he's getting there… just a wee bit longer! Hehe! Thanks for the review!

**Cazzylove: **Thank you my beloved Cazzy! :D

**Dante Must Die: **Sora does totally love Riku! He just needs a few more pushes in the right direction. I hope you liked the update!

**YaOiPrInCeSs16: **Yes, Riku forgets that he can turn Sora gay with the power of his love and the magical papou fruit! Hehe! Thanks for your review!

**Dreamy Duskywing: **I explained this to another reviewer… though I totally understand where you are coming from and I was expecting this sort of reaction towards Jane's decision to include Kairi. It's just that Jane is 100% certain that Sora and Riku will one day get together, which will ultimately affect Kairi's life… So Jane is including Kairi in order to prepare her and hopefully get her to become the glue that sticks Sora and Riku together in the end. That's just what fueled me to have Jane make that choice. Anyway, I'm glad you are happy about Sora's success! And yes, I've watch so many anime and read so much mange that the Japanese for mom and dad are so easy to use… though I forget about other people who my not be as versed in the Japanese visual literature and or shows… But I think everyone gets the picture and is touched by Kairi's cuteness and seemingly unending acceptance and love towards others. I hope you liked the update!

**CreepshowCarnival: **I'm glad you love the story, but don't die! That would be bad! XD Thanks for the review!

**Al-Kohai: **Thanks so much! I'm glad you likie! :D

**Princess Merleen: **I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for your review!

**Alkohaimusic: **Such is life… you are never alone in this world! ORIGINALITY IS DEAD! Haha, just kidding! Thanks for your review and I hope you liked the update!

**Dylinsgurlxxx: **… Oooookayyy? HAHA! JK I found this review amusing! Thanks for your words! XD

**Lightmaster: **Thanks so much for enjoying the cuteness! And paticence my friend… we shall see who will come into the story later on!

**Formidable Rain: **Yeah, Sora is one of those touchy emotional drunks! It's a bad combination really… hehe! Thanks for the review!

**TayTayXD: **Thanks! I'm glad you like it! I'll update soon!

**Sayonara7: **Yes, we must all wait for something… me I must wait for inspiration and you must wait for the product of that inspiration! It's crazy! Yay! I'm happy you like the cuteness! I personally can't get enough of it! Thanks so much for checking out my work and enjoying it! :D


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I own the plot… and Jane… I don't own Kingdom Heart characters or Final Fantasy ones… nor do I own any companies, facilities, or brand name objects that may show up in the story…

I GOT MORE FANART! YESSSS! This is from CheshyCatGrin and it is beautiful! Thanks so much! Here's the link if you want to see it:

cheshycatgrin. deviantart (dot com)/#/d54r3jl

Yeah, just type in dot com correctly and get rid of the spaces for the URL and you will see it's awesomeness!

Chapter 11

It was so nerve wracking to wait for a letter that might come sooner than expected. Every morning I'd wake up and think: 'The letter is coming today! I know it!'

Only to be disappointed and find only junk mail that I don't need.

I'm pretty sure the mailman thought I was a crazy stalker or something. After the fist few days of waiting… I decided it would just be easier if I waited at my mailbox at six forty-five in the morning to catch the mail as soon as it comes.

A fruitless effort so far…

Arrgh! It was driving me insane!

It's been over a week already… the letter needs to come now!

"You know, maybe you should think about other things… like bringing Kairi to school or waking her up for that matter… you realize it's almost 7:15, right?" My mother reminded and I shot up off of the couch to wake Kairi.

We were gonna be late to school today!

In a record-breaking seven-minute bath for the both of us and three minutes to get dressed and ready to go, Kairi and I were out the door in ten minutes. My mother handed us bananas as we left the apartment.

"Don't drive like a maniac Sora… it's not like it's the end of the world if she's ten minutes late…" Mom said and I shot her a playful glare as I buckled Kairi into her seat.

"Daddy? You're not going to drive with a banana in your mouth are you? Don't you think that's a little dangerous?" Kairi asked.

I laughed as I started the car. "Are you kidding? I love the thrill of danger!" I cackled before taking a bite of the banana and pulling off towards the school.

After dropping Kairi off, I drove to the Quickie Mart hoping Tifa wouldn't kill me for being a few minutes late.

-Hello, Doctor-

Riku's POV

I was not happy when the phone woke me from my slumber.

"Hello?" I grumbled.

"Hey, Riku… I'm glad I caught you on your day off." Cloud's voice rang loudly in my ear and I pulled the phone from my face.

"Why are you being so loud?" I asked.

"I'm not being loud, turn the volume down on your phone…" Cloud suggested.

"If I do that, I'll just put you on mute and go back to sleep. Was there something you wanted? Doesn't Zell have school today?" I asked.

"Yeah… but he told me something interesting yesterday and I just wanted to see if it was true," Cloud said.

"How does that concern me?" I asked.

"Well, it involves you and my… ex-patients I guess. You stole them from me…" Cloud joked and I sported a puzzled look.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Let me just ask the big question… How did you manage to turn Sora gay?" Cloud asked.

I choked on my spit. "What? Sora's not gay!" I said through my coughs.

"Huh? Zell told me that Kairi told her that she had two dads now, you and Sora. So I figured you and Sora must have gotten together or something. Which would have been an amazing feat, my friend. Sora is pretty much as straight as a board!" Cloud laughed.

"By the way, does Sora know that you are inclined to his gender? I don't know… whenever he talks about you it's always about how he can't believe you are still without a girlfriend because you are such a good catch…" I said.

"Oh! Do I hear a hint of jealousy in your voice? You don't like it when your love interest speaks highly of someone else do you?" Cloud replied and I could hear the smugness in his voice.

"Who said he was a love interest?" I asked.

"Oh man, you didn't have to! I could just tell by the sound of your voice… and to answer your question… no, he doesn't know that I am gay. I mean, we're pretty good friends but his daughter was also my patient. I didn't want to give away all my secrets, you know," Cloud answered.

"Oh, okay."

"I'm still confused though… so you two are not together but you guys are close enough for Kairi to think of you as a second father? Sounds fishy to me!" Cloud said.

"As fishy as it sounds… that's basically the truth… minus the fact that I've practically been in love with the dude since I first met him…" I sighed.

"You really shouldn't do that to yourself Riku… it must be torture to be around him all the time… it's not healthy. You should go out and find yourself a nice gay man to court. I have a friend who's looking, if you're interested," Cloud offered.

"No… I know it's stupid of me to do this to myself… but I really don't want anyone else… if it's not Sora and Kairi, it's not happening," I declined.

"Sounds like you've got it bad, man… but you need to get over this. It's not like Sora is going to wake up one morning and say… 'Hey, I think I'm gay!' and come running to you professing his love…" Cloud said.

"I know that Cloud… but I'm not giving up on him… I just… I can't…"

"What has got you so hopeful about this? I went to med school with you, I know you're not stupid. And I definitely know that you're not the kind of person to hold on to fruitless endeavors… how can you be so sure?" Cloud asked.

"I don't really know… there's something about the way it feels when he hugs me… and before you say something about me working myself up over a man-hug... our hugs sometimes last from 45 seconds to a minute… you can't call those man-hugs, they last too long! And he doesn't awkwardly pat me on the back either… he really let's me hold him for a while… sometimes I wonder if he does it on purpose… you know, to placate my longing for him. I think he really feels bad about it… one time he got drunk and started crying and apologizing for being straight because he said he knew what it felt like to love someone who can't love you back… do you think that's strange?" I asked.

"Wait… so he _knows_ about your feelings for him and he's _still _hanging out with you? That's strange in itself, but to actually get drunk and cry in front of you after knowing how you feel? There's no way! I don't think the guy realizes he has closet gay feelings for you! I'm gonna get to the bottom of this!" Cloud exclaimed.

"Cloud… seriously, don't. You'll ruin it!" I yelped.

"I'm not going to fuck it up! I just going to give him a push in the right direction… you'll see," Cloud said before hanging up.

I sighed and flopped back onto my bed. And that was yet another person who assured me that Sora would come around…

That was great and all… but how long would I have to wait to kiss him? To hold him in my arms? To watch him writhe beneath me?

I wouldn't set my hopes to high for that last one… I doubt Sora even new the details of sex between men. I groaned and rolled around to the other side of my bed.

How long would I have to wait to have him sleeping peacefully, right here? And to have Kairi come to this room when she has nightmares or when she wants to cuddle with her dads…

Oh God… I must be losing it! I'm having happy family fantasies!

"Riku… what are you gonna do, man? We still have a long way to go…" I said aloud to myself as I stared up at the ceiling fan.

I looked to over to the empty side of the bed and bit my lip. "A really long way to go…" I said before drifting off to sleep again.

-Hello, Doctor-

Sora's POV

I was putting more bread in isle 2 when the little bell rang to signal a customer. I smiled when I saw who it was.

"Cloud! What's up, man? I feel like it's been forever since I've seen you!" I said and took the man's hand before pulling him in for a friendly hug.

"Yeah… it's been a while. It's a good thing Zell goes to school with Kairi, otherwise we'd have a crisis on our hands," Cloud said with a laugh.

"So what brings you here to the humble Quickie Mart?" I asked.

"Actually, I came to see you. It suddenly hit me today that I hadn't seen you in over a month… how've you been?" Cloud asked.

"Well, don't I feel honored! Tifa! Can I take my break a little early?" I asked and Tifa came out from the back.

"That's fine, just be sure to finish putting away all the breads before you go," Tifa said and I moved to finish up what I was previously doing.

"Well to be honest Cloud, I've been doing some big changes since I last saw you," I said.

"Big changes? What kind of big changes?" he asked.

"Well… I quit my job at Chuck E. Cheese to have more time for auditions," I explained.

"Auditions?"

"Yeah… to be a voice actor. I just recently had an audition with 81 Produce and I'm waiting for the final judgment. It's enough to drive someone crazy…" I laughed.

"Wow! I had no idea you were into that kind of thing. I hope everything is successful!" Cloud said.

"Thanks Cloud. It's been pretty tough but if I get this job, it'll be so worth it," I said.

"So what made you decide to do this?" Cloud inquired.

"It was kind of a while ago… Kairi, Riku, and I were watching Disney movies and Riku discovered my talent for voices… I actually told him how I wanted to be a voice actor and he said I should give it a try… His faith in me was so apparent that it gave me faith in myself you know… and here I am, days away from finding out if this was meant to be," I said.

"I didn't think you and Riku were so close…" Cloud said.

"Well… Kairi sort of brought us together. She's already dubbed him as her second father… crazy child…" I chuckled and shook my head.

"So… do you like him?" Cloud asked and I choked on my spit.

"Why does everyone think that? Is it so weird that Kairi thinks of my best friend as a second father? Why do we suddenly have to be a couple! Doesn't anyone remember that I am heterosexual?" I snapped, tired of hearing the same thing over and over again.

"Whoa! Sorry… I didn't mean to offend you. It's just…" Cloud trailed off.

"What?" I asked dryly.

"Don't you feel horrible? I mean… do you just turn a blind eye to his suffering? How would you feel being close to the person you love but never being close enough? If you were really his friend you wouldn't have made him stay! You wouldn't have let him get so close to Kairi! There's only two scenarios that can explain why you would do such a thing! You either developed romantic feelings for him, or you hate his guts! Which one is it Sora?" Cloud yelled and I just stood there, wide eyed and shocked.

"Why are you so upset about this?" I asked quietly.

"Because a real friend wouldn't let this continue!" Cloud said.

"Well how do you think I feel, Cloud? I didn't ask him to develop feelings for me! I didn't force him to get attached to Kairi and I sure as hell don't need you to lecture me about it!" I yelled angrily before I suddenly felt a fist to my face.

I fell to the floor and glared at Cloud. "You are so lucky that I would get fired if I punched you back!" I barked.

"It's men like you that I hate the most… coward…" Cloud said before leaving the store.

What the fuck? Why is it that I'm being blamed for something that isn't my fault! Why wasn't Cloud sympathizing with me? It just didn't make any fucking sense!

I stood and put a hand to my head. Now I had a throbbing headache and I probably had a huge bruise on my face.

"Wow… that was better than the soaps I watched this morning…" Tifa said and I frowned.

"You were here the whole time? Why didn't you kick him out?" I yelped.

"I told you, you need to get out more… now look what happened. You now have one less friend and you'll probably have to give up the other one…" Tifa said.

I sighed and covered my face in shame. "I don't know what to do… I've never thought of Riku as anything more than a friend… ever! If I was harboring feelings for him, wouldn't I have had more illicit thoughts about him? Not even that, romantic ones? I don't understand what everyone keeps pointing at!" I cried out in frustration.

"I wish I could tell you the right thing to do but… that's something you really have to discover for yourself. How about I be the gracious boss that I am and let you off early… Demyx will be here in an hour and it doesn't seem like many people are in need of a Quickie Mart stop today," Tifa said.

I ran over to Tifa and hugged her. "Thank you…" I said and clocked out for the day. I ran to my car before pulling out my phone. I dialed Riku's number and waited for him to pick up.

"Hello?" Riku asked from the other end.

"Hey, Riku… it's Sora. Are you working right now?" I asked.

"No… today is my day off. I'm currently sitting on my ass doing absolutely nothing at all," Riku said in a lazy voice.

"Can I come over? I need to talk to you about something… it's important," I asked.

"Sure… if you think it's that important," Riku said.

"I'll be there in like ten minutes," I finished before hanging up.

When I got to his house I knocked on the door and waited.

"Hey, Sora… What the hell happened to your face?" Riku asked when he caught sight of the swollen cheek.

"Cloud happened… I don't know what happened… one moment we're catching up and the next moment I'm knocked to the floor by a fist to my face!" I said.

"Shit… let me get an ice pack for that," Riku said and moved down the hallway. I sighed and sat down on the couch. I know I wanted to talk to Riku but I still had no idea what I was going to say…

"Here." Riku said and I took the frozen pack of plastic from him.

"So Cloud punched you in the face… when Cloud said he wanted to talk to you… I didn't think he wanted to talk with his fists…" Riku said with a sad look on his face.

"We were arguing about you…" I said.

"About me? What do you mean?" Riku asked.

"You know you're my best friend, right?" I said.

"What is this about, Sora?" Riku's voice turned serious.

"I won't make you stay…" I trailed off. "If it hurts to be near me… I won't force you to stick around…" I said quietly.

"Sora…"

"And don't worry about Kairi… I'll tell her something that makes sense. Maybe that you were transferred suddenly to another hospital and didn't have the time to say goodbye… Kairi's a strong girl, she'll surely be upset for a while but she'll get over it," I spoke in almost a whisper to hide the sadness I felt at the thought.

"Are you kidding me Sora? Is this a joke? I thought I was your best friend! Is my existence really that easy to erase?" Riku started angrily.

"Of course not! But it'll have to do!" I replied defensively.

"What? Why?" Riku asked.

"Because I don't want to be the cause of your pain anymore! Cloud was right when he said that if I were really your friend I wouldn't let this continue anymore. You'll be just fine without us and once you have everything settled you can forget about Kairi and I and move on!" I yelled.

"Forget? I don't want to forget Sora! It's you who wants to forget! You hate the fact that I have feelings for you so you want to erase me from the picture! You're tired of having that guilty burden on your shoulders! You're running away and being a coward!" Riku yelled angrily and I teared up at the accusation.

"That's not true! I'm trying to do what's best for you!" I yelped.

"That's rich, Sora! Considering you have no idea what that is! I've had enough of this Sora… please just leave…" Riku said and I felt my chest burn at his words.

I placed the ice pack on the table and shot Riku one last glare before leaving the house. I got into my car and bit my lip when I saw that it was time to pick up Kairi. I called my mother and told her I could pick her up.

I hung up before she could ask me what was wrong.

I parked the car and walked into the school. I quickly signed Kairi out and grabbed her stuff.

"Daddy! You'll never guess what I saw at school to… Dad?" Kairi trailed off and took my hand.

I smiled at her and walked her to the car. I put all of her stuff in the trunk.

"Daddy, are you okay?" Kairi asked and pulled on my pant leg.

Then the dam I was holding up since I left Riku's house finally broke and I scooped Kairi up into my arms and hid my crying face on her shoulder.

"What's wrong? Is Daddy crying because of the bruise on his face?" Kairi asked.

I shook my head. "No… Kai… Daddy's heart hurts," I said softly before planting a kiss on her cheek.

"I know! Why don't we call Otou-san! He'll make it better," Kairi said happily.

"No… Kai… not this time. I just want to go home… don't you want to go home?" I asked and Kairi nodded.

I buckled Kairi into her car seat and as I drove home, I tried to think of the best lie to explain the bruise on my face.

When I pulled up to the apartment, my mother was waiting outside with an envelope in her hands.

"Sora, it's from 81 Produce," My mother said and handed me the mail. Kairi unbuckled herself and managed to get out of the car.

"Dad, is that the special magic envelope?" Kairi asked and I gave her a small smile.

"Yeah… lets find out what it says, shall we?" I said before closing the car doors and moving inside the apartment.

"Open it!" Kairi giggled.

I sighed and opened the envelope. I read the words on the paper and sighed.

"Is it bad news?" My mother asked and I shook my head.

"They hired me… but I'm not in a cheery mood right now..." I said and pulled Kairi into a hug.

"You did it, Daddy! If you don't want to cheer, I'll cheer for you!" Kairi squealed and I hugged her closer. "Thank you, Kairi… this is going to be a whole new chapter for us okay? Daddy's gonna give you everything he can…" I whispered and stood.

"Congratulations, Sora. I'm very proud of you," Mom said and gave me a knowing look before moving into the kitchen.

"I'm going to take a nap. Wake me if you need anything," I said and looked down at Kairi. "You want to take a nap with me?" I asked.

"Okay…" Kairi agreed and I moved over to Kairi's room. I plopped down onto the bed and my daughter giggled.

"I love you, Daddy…" she said, her blue eyes glistening with childhood innocence.

I smiled and hugged her close. I felt Kairi kiss my chest before I drifted off.

My heart felt just a teensy bit better afterwards.

A/N: Ooooooooo! Now we're getting somewhere, huh? Nothing like the cold hard truth with a side of separation to get your head in gear… REVIEW and you shall see what's happening next (aka the moment you probably have all been waiting for :D)

**Nacht Schleier: **Hehe! I'm glad you thought the last chapter was funny! Thanks for your review!

**Mudkipluvr4ever: **Yeah, Kairi is wiser and more mature than most five-year-olds. And yeah, I had to put that in there! It was calling me. Sora needed another moment of bonding with Riku. I hope you liked the update!

**Kurami-chan:** You shall see Axel soon! Yeah, I was hoping people would think that was funny! XD It's almost like code the with all those terms, it was only natural that Sora the straight guy would be confused by them… little did he know that he was in for a LONG road ahead of him! Hahah! Thanks for the review!

**Lone DragonWolf of the Flames: **Haha! Is it weird that I could vividly picture someone pulling up a chair with a bag of chips in from of the computer? Thanks for all your support!

**Muffy: **Awe! That's great that I could get you involved in the audition process. Yeah, I was trying to make Cid that complete opposite of Vincent for comical effect. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope you liked the update!

**CheshyCatGrin: **YESS! I was hoping people would thing that was funny! Sora doesn't have a CLUE what he's getting himself into! And YEAH! Now you and your boss and slack off of work together to read my stories and relax! Again, thanks so much for the fanart!

**Kaoru-chibimaster: ** (squeals in super happiness)… this is how I feel about your keyboard seizure! No one has ever given me one of those in a review! It makes me happy! XD Oh yeah, I've gotten that far… I tend to forget that I do have the ability to summon things… hmm, yes, that sounds like a plan! Thanks for the advice!

**Coffemug957: **Gah! There are numbers in your name now! :D Thanks so much for the review! And yes, it was inevitable for Sora the eternal uke.

**Witch of Tragedies: **Yeah! I'm glad when I make people laugh! That's really what I love doing! Thanks for much for reading and reviewing!

**Kenshin8923: **You know I never said this but I like your penname, whenever I look at it I think of Himura Kenshin and then I think about how awesome anime Rurouni Kinshin was. Anyway! Yeah, Sora starting to feel it now! He's getting the fever of lurve! Hehe! Thanks so much for the review!

**Skylar: **Thanks so much! I hope you liked the update! :D

**Sayonara7: **Haha! Yes, thank God for all things caffeine! Well, I really don't know if this is how the audition process goes… I personally think that people actually get scouted by agents for these kind of things instead of auditions but I wanted to make it easier on Sora. For me, I always thought, "If I don't make it as an Opera singer, I want to be a voice actor!" seems a little whacky, right? XD Sora will get his shit together eventually, but yes, he's too oblivious to know that kind of stuff. Thanks so much!

**Ardjet: **I'm glad you love it! Thanks for reviewing!

**Fack: **Yes, the BL part was necessary, hopefully for comic effect. You thought it was funny, right? And as you just read, Sora got the job because the story wouldn't be half as entertaining if he didn't! You are not stupid! YOU ARE SMART AND BEAUTIFUL! Thanks so much for the review!

**Cj Quinn: **Yep, Sora = super oblivious… it's hilarious! I hope you liked the update!

**CreepshowCarnival: **Thanks so much for the review! I hope you liked the update!

**CazzyLove: **Yay! I'm gald you enjoyed the audition process! Thanks Cazz! (can I call you Cazz?) XD

**RedWords: **I think we all approve of Sora's type casting! And he doesn't have a CLUE! I hope you liked the update!

**Chishiox: **Did I get a new reader/reviewer! I think this is the first time I've had to give you a reply. :D I'm glad you like the story and I hope you continue to enjoy it!

**Lightmaster: **Hehe! You won't have to wait too long, I promise! I just don't want to accidently slip up and tell you what happens, that wouldn't be fun! I WANT TO WATCH YOU SQIRM! MUAHAHA! (grins evilly) … I'm just kiddin'! I'm glad you liked the chapter! :D

**Natural Chaos: **YAY! I wanted so badly for people to think that was funny, especially because Sora has NO idea what that means! Thanks for the review!

**Roxas: **Yeah! You're an awesome voice actor! Thanks for reviewing!

**Ldrmas: **Yes, Axel will come into the picture soon! Thanks for your review!

**TaytayXD: **I hope you liked the update! :D

**MandaBleachFan: **Welcome and thanks for reading! Wow, yeah I'm a really slow reader it would take me like a day to read all of this… I'm really glad you like the plot and everything so far. And Jane already has a grandchild so she doesn't really care about whether or not Sora is gay or straight anymore XD! And yay! My name's Amanda too!

**Nami1415: **HEHE! Thanks! :D

**TwistedFate108: **Yeah! Sora is feeling some things but he's still in denial! XD And yes, Sora will one day discover what the hell Vincent and Cid were talking about! Thank for the review!

**Mr. Coopcake: **Yes! I love fangirl screams, even ones that come from boys! I would love to see the day a straight guy does a fangirl scream! That would be some funny shit! And yes, we need more gay fanboys in this world! Haha! I love how everyone who loves the SoraRiku pairing hates Kairi! Except this Kairi because she's so cute and not a threat to the relationship! XD Don't worry about the Mom thing, I wasn't scolding you or anything! I just didn't want to give anything away, where's the fun in that! :D Though… I'm sorry to say, that was Xion at Chuck E. Cheese… she's Riku's sister… she doesn't really come up much in the story though… she lives out of town and doesn't see Riku or Zexion much. So yeah, you don't really have to worry about her. So I hope you don't take my cake back because I want to eat it and it looks delicious! There will be serious yaoi in the story… just not really anytime soon.

**Haradatwin11: **Thank so much and I hope you liked the update! Welcome, I'm glad I have yet another new reviewer!

**YaOiPrInCeSs16: **Yay! (bows for the audience) Now we can celebrate because Sora got the job… well actually we should celebrate later because Sora's not really feeling it because he lost his man-lover. Thanks so much for the review and for the delicious brownies!

**Joxas: **Thanks so much for your support! I'm glad you like it and that you are gonna see it through to the end!

**RiSo4Ever: **Yay! I'm glad you think so! Thanks so much! :D

**Iluvmandaxpanda: **I luv this penname! XD I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks so much for the review!

**Animesaki: **Yes, I will probably put that in there! :D Axel will be coming soon! Awe, I love Rinoa… but only when she's in the friend zone with Leon… the minute she tries to get with him… she's out! I don't like her then! XD Thanks for the review!

**The Fuzzy Ficus: **Yeah! You are officially signed in! Hehe! Thanks for the review my friend! :D

**Dreamy Duskywing: **Yeah, Sora is the greatest when he's having fun and being who he wants to be… Thanks so much for the review and I hope you enjoyed the update!

**Aki-chan26: **I'm really happy that you like everything so far! And thanks so much for saying such nice things! I'm not that great XD! Anyway, welcome to the club and I hope you continue to follow!

**AllenPimpWalker: **HA! I love your pen name... I would love to see someone turn Allen Walker into a pimp! Allen's too nice for that job! XD Anyway, thanks so much for reading and I'm really happy that I could give you something interesting to read, even in a fandom you don't necessarily read all the time. Thanks for the review!


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I own the plot and Jane so far…

Hey, guys! Here's the chapter a lot of you have been waiting for... or one of the moments because if you haven't already noticed, this story is a bit of a slow-burner. BUT I HOPE YOU ENJOY! :D

Chapter 12

"Daddy! We got to play on the big kid play structure at school today! The swings are so much bigger than the ones on the little playground!" I smiled at my daughter and took her hand.

"Oh yeah? Did you have fun?" I asked.

"Yes! And I saw Pebbles again today!" Kairi said and I gave her a puzzled look.

"Who's Pebbles?" I asked.

"He's a puppy dog! I met him under the slide!" Kairi said with a giggle.

"Was he a cute doggie?" I asked.

"Yeah! He looks just like you!" Kairi squealed and I wasn't sure if I should be flattered or insulted.

"That must be one good lookin' pup, then!" I said and waggled my eyebrows.

"No… he's pretty plain…" Kairi said and I frowned.

"You don't even realize you insult your poor father!" I said and feigned sobs.

"No! Don't cry! You have to drive me home first!" Kairi laughed.

I started to pretend cry harder.

Kairi giggled and squealed at my ridiculous display before I turned into a monster and chased her to the car. When I cornered her I swooped her up and off her feet before planting a big, sloppy smooch on her cheek.

"EW! Daddy!" Kairi cried and I laughed at her exclamation.

"I love you Kairi-cat!" I said before opening the car door and placing her in her car seat.

"Dad… when is Otou-san coming back?" Kairi asked.

I felt my face drop and I sighed. "Kai… your Daddy isn't a very good person…" I said sadly.

"What do you mean? You're not bad, Daddy." Kairi said with a smile.

I returned the smile before speaking again. "I drove Riku away, Kairi… I was mean to him and I blamed him for my own problems." I explained.

"Go say you're sorry! Go find him and tell him you didn't mean it! Tell him that you love him and that you didn't want him to go away!" Kairi whined, tears coming to her eyes.

I looked right at her and I knew she was right… these past two weeks have been torture… not because of guilt really… but because everything I saw reminded me of Riku.

And thinking about Riku would only remind me of how great a person he is. How much I actually liked it when he had his arms around me… how I loved having him around.

"Kairi… I think he needs time… he probably hates my guts right now…" I said and buckled her in.

"He doesn't hate you… he wouldn't hate anyone…" Kairi mumbled and I bit my lip.

"How about we go home, have some dinner, go to sleep, and I'll go see him in the morning? Does that make you feel better?" I asked knowing I would have to do that at some point anyway.

Kairi nodded and I kissed her head before heading home.

-Hello, Doctor-

Riku's POV

After two weeks of calling, I finally reached Cloud on his work cell.

"Cloud! What the fuck did you say to Sora? I told you, you would ruin it! Whatever you said to him didn't fucking help! He decided it would be better to erase me from his and Kairi's life! That's not what I wanted! Even if I had to suffer unrequited love, I would rather do it with Kairi around than without her! Why did you do that? You fucking bastard!" I yelled trying my hardest to reign in my tears.

The past days have been the_ worst _days of my life so far. I can't stand not seeing Sora and Kairi. Everything was so much _brighter _when they were around.

I feel like I've been in a fog… the only time it even remotely clears up is when I have patients and even then… I don't feel good. I feel like a watered down version of myself.

I hated it… I wished that Sora hadn't come over that day. I wished things could go back to the way they were.

"Riku… look… it was for the best," Cloud said.

"Why do you say that? That's exactly what Sora said! You two don't know what's best for me! Only I can know that!" I snapped before taking a breath.

"I really want to beat the shit out of you right now…" I grumbled.

"Well it's a good thing I'm not over at your clinic then, isn't it!" Cloud said in a cheery voice that made me want to wring his neck.

"This isn't a joke, Cloud… y-you don't know how bad it feels," I frowned when my voice cracked.

"Look, I'm sorry… but this is probably going to work out better than you think. Let go, Riku… it's not that hard!" Cloud said.

"When did you become such a dick, Cloud?" I asked before hanging up. I didn't even want an answer.

-Hello, Doctor-

Sora's POV

I was sleeping peacefully when Kairi woke me up. "What's the matter, baby? Do you have nightmares?" I asked as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I looked at the clock.

I was almost two in the morning.

"Daddy… my tummy hurts…" Kairi said in a pitiful voice and I sat up. I crawled off of the couch and turned on the lamp. Kairi whined and pressed her face up to my thigh. She looked a little pale and she was slightly clammy against my skin.

I ran my hands through her hair and walked her to the toilet. I figured that maybe she was emotionally stressed. After my whole fight with Riku, I had been in a funk. My daughter got the brunt of it and it was probably wearing her out.

She hugged my leg again and I could feel Kairi's tears through my shorts. I mentally berated myself for being such a bad father.

"Go sit on the toilet and I'll see if I can find some tummy medicine," I said and was about to open the medicine cabinet when the sound of vomiting echoed through the bathroom.

I quickly turned and gently pulled Kairi over to the toilet. I handed her the trashcan and told her to vomit in it if she needed to throw up again.

I walked out of the bathroom and knocked on my bedroom door before entering. My mother was asleep so I shook her awake.

"What? What's happening?" My mother said as she woke.

"Kairi must have gotten a stomach bug. Can you take care of her while I clean the vomit from the bathroom floor?" I asked.

"Sure. Is she in the bathroom?" My mother asked.

"Daddy!" I jumped at Kairi's miserable cry before I could hear the sound of retching again.

"Why don't you stay with her and I'll clean the vomit?" Mom suggested as she got out of the bed.

"Okay. I'm coming, Kairi!" I called back to her as I moved to the bathroom again. The moment I came into view Kairi broke down into screaming sobs.

I felt my heart twist and turn at the sound and I moved over to her. I kneeled down and rubbed her back as she cried and vomited in the bucket.

"It's going to be okay, baby. You just have to let it pass," I said soothingly and my mother spoke.

"The other trash can is all the way in the kitchen isn't it?"

"Watch her, I'll run and go get it," I said and left the bathroom.

I bit my lip when Kairi started screaming for me again. I took a breath as I grabbed the larger bin. I needed to be strong for Kairi.

"Sora!" My mother called and I moved back to the bathroom.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"She has a bad case of diarrhea, she's _still_ vomiting, and she's burning up. She's going to need fluids or she might become dehydrated," Mom said with a worried look on her face.

"M-make it st-stop please? D-daddy…" Kairi moaned, she must have been in so much pain.

I quickly cleaned up the bathroom and placed the trash bin by the door. "Do you think we'll need anything else?" I asked, I didn't want to have to leave her again.

A wave of sickness hit Kairi again and it was torture to watch. I wished that I could take her place… I ran a hand through her sweaty hair before grabbing the face towel and wetting it with bath water.

I pressed the cold towel to her forehead and ran my hands over her back again as her body convulsed from sickness.

"Sora… this can't be a stomach bug… I don't know what it is… but stomach bugs don't give children bloody stool," My mother said a frightened look on her face.

I ran a hand through my own hair and whispered that I would be right back to Kairi, which only elicited more frightened, painful sobs and screams from her.

I grabbed my phone and called the first number that came to mind. I started to panic as the phone rang over and over. "Please… pick up," I said.

It went to voicemail and I immediately pressed one for a message. "Riku! Please wake up and listen to me! I know you probably hate me and I don't blame you but Kairi needs your help… she w-wont stop screaming and she keeps vomiting and her fever is off the charts! She has diarrhea and there's blood in her stool… you have to tell me what to do, please! I'm freaking out so much I can't even think straight! What's happening to my daughter, please tell me! I can't lose her!" I panicked tears coming to my eyes as Kairi continued to cry out in misery.

"Sora, you need to calm down." A calm voice suddenly flooded my ears and I covered my mouth to stifle my horrified sobs.

"Oh G-god, what do I have to do?" I cried.

"I need you to fill up a bag of ice. When a wave of vomiting has passed, you need to take her quickly to the clinic. My brother is there right now, but I'm on my way. Use the bag of ice to keep her temperature down. _Drive safely, Sora. _I know just by the sound of your voice that you do stupid shit when you're panicked. Don't put Kairi in any more danger than she already is… do you understand?" Riku warned and I croaked a 'yes' before hanging up and running to the kitchen.

I filled the bag of ice and ran back to the bathroom. "Has the vomiting stopped?" I asked when I couldn't hear Kairi sobbing anymore.

"Sora, we need to hurry. She just passed out," My mother said, scooping Kairi up and leaving the bathroom.

I grabbed my keys and took a deep breath as I opened the door. We piled into the car and I drove carefully to the clinic.

I got out of the car and took Kairi from my mother before running into the clinic. "Someone help my daughter, please!" I shouted as calmly as I could. I needed to grab attention, not start widespread panic.

"Let me take her Mr. Smith, Dr. Uchida is already here to see what's going on." I sighed when I saw Naminé approaching with a gurney. I placed Kairi onto the small contraption and said a billion prayers in my head at once as they wheeled her away.

I sank to the floor and let out a sob before covering my face and taking deep breaths. I couldn't break down yet. I bit my lip and stood myself up again before sitting in the waiting room.

And for four hours… four very long hours… my mother and I sat in the waiting room asking any higher being who would listen to keep Kairi safe.

"Mr. Smith…" My head shot up and I woke my mother from her light doze when I spotted Naminé for a second time.

"How is she?" I asked desperately.

"She's stabilized," I looked over to see Riku removing gloves from his hands.

"What was wrong with her?" I asked.

"She had a Campylobacter infection… they're pretty vicious on kids with weaker immune systems. I put her on some fluids and broke her fever… she just needs to rest," Riku said.

"What's a Campylobacter infection?" My mother asked.

"It's a bacterial infection usually from contaminated food… has she eaten anything strange recently? Raw meats? Unpasteurized milk? Contaminated vegetables?" Riku asked.

I shook my head. "No… she's been eating everything I eat… so I would have gotten sick too, right?" I asked.

"What about at school?" My mother suggested.

"No… we would have had more infected kids here," Riku said.

"Is it only passed by foods?" I asked.

"Maybe there was an infected kid who came back to school too early? That's a possibility… Kairi doesn't have any pets…" Riku brainstormed aloud.

"Pebbles!" I shouted without realizing.

"Pebbles?" My mother and Naminé inquired.

"You can't catch the infection through rocks, Sora," Riku said.

"No! Kairi was talking about a stray dog on the playground yesterday. I thought she was only imagining it but maybe it was a real dog. She named it Pebbles," I explained with a blush.

"There you have it… that makes perfect sense. The bacteria was transmitted when she pet the dog. She probably didn't wash her hands before she ate and then got the bacteria in her digestive system," Riku said.

I didn't think I would ever look at a dog the same ever again. "Can I see her?" I asked.

"She's probably sleeping, but yes you can. Someone needs to fill out the paperwork though…" Naminé said.

"I can do that. Go, son…" I kissed my mother's cheek in thanks and followed Riku to the hospital room.

When I saw my baby sleeping peacefully on the gurney, my body couldn't hold itself together any longer. I sank to the floor next to her bed and cried. "Sh-shit… Kairi I'm s-so glad you're o-okay…" I wept quietly for a few minutes before wiping my eyes and taking deep breaths.

I turned to see Riku leaning against the doorway, his eyes closed in a light sleep.

"I'm sorry I woke you up so early screaming in panic… I was just so scared I didn't know what to do…" I trailed off and Riku sent me a soft gaze.

"As long as Kairi is alright," He said quietly. There was a tense silence in the room before I spoke.

"You were right… you know, when you called me a coward… I've never been very good at any sort of confrontation… not even in ones that weren't my business… I was too afraid to face you… to face myself and I blamed you for it. And for that… I'm really, _really _sorry. I know you probably wont believe me when I say that I missed having you around… but I really did… sure I felt really guilty about what I had said and done, but that's not what fueled my loneliness when you were gone. I just couldn't stop thinking about you… your smiles, your voice, your cool but caring attitude, how _good_ it felt to be hugged by you… I'm not really sure what that means in detail… but I'm old enough to know that it means you are more than just a friend to me... does that make sense?" I asked.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Riku said and I felt my heart sink at the incoming rejection.

"No… I'm not joking…" I said.

"No, no… I'm sorry Sora. That wasn't aimed at you… I was cursing Cloud for always being right in the end. That stupid bastard can see the future or something…" Riku said and I gave him a puzzled look.

"I called him earlier today to vent and he told me things would work out better than I thought they would. And they did…" Riku explained.

"So you're not going to reject me for being a cowardly prick?" I asked looking Riku in the eyes.

"No… I'm not. I don't mind taking baby steps… as long as we get somewhere," Riku answered.

I blushed. "Where do you want to be?" I asked with a gulp.

"You'll find out later, Sora. Right now, I just want to hold you," Riku said and pulled me up before wrapping his arms around me with a sigh.

I felt my muscles relax and I nuzzled my face into his shoulder before returning the hug.

"This is going to sound so elementary but… what does this make us?" I mumbled into his shoulder.

"Well, I'd like to call you mine, Sora. But I'm a patient man and I won't force you if you aren't ready," Riku replied.

I sighed and pulled away from him to look him square in the eyes. "I'm not a girl! This doesn't make me any less of a man, got it?" I said firmly.

Riku pressed his forehead to mine. "Yes, sir…" He answered gently before pressing his lips to mine.

I gasped and pulled away for a second before relaxing and meeting him halfway.

It felt really strange at first. Part of my brain was screaming: 'WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?' But when Riku's hand pressed against the small of my back to pull me closer, that part of my brain shrunk and a new feeling bubbled to the surface.

And it felt so _good._ It sent little tingles from my lips all the way down to my toes. I let out a small sigh and that must have given Riku a little bit more confidence because his other hand went into my hair to deepen the kiss.

I had no idea what I was doing… I didn't want to think of it like I was kissing another girl… it was more than that… it meant more to me than any kiss I'd ever had in a long time. I closed my eyes and bit his lip slightly as my hands moved to his chest.

My eyes shot open when I realized how fast his heart was racing. That motivated me to invest a little bit more into the kiss. I opened my mouth and let out a small noise when his tongue entered my mouth. It wasn't a scared noise or an angry one… it was a small noise of encouragement and I almost smiled when Riku realized I had given him permission to really kiss me.

I chuckled inwardly… I thought he was trying to eat me for a second until I shuddered at the feeling of his tongue sliding against a sensitive spot I didn't realize I had.

I pulled away and gasped for much needed air. "Whoa…" I said with a dumb look on my face.

Riku chuckled and held me close again. I hummed softly at the comfort I felt. "When do I take Kairi home?" I asked.

"Once the fluids are gone in that IV pouch, you can take her home. She can't go back to school till Wednesday and don't give her any rich foods, or dairy products like yogurt and cheese until she's comfortable enough to stomach them," Riku said and I nodded.

"I'm just so glad she's okay…" I said and turned to face her. I took her little hand and smiled when it felt warm against my skin… not cold or hot… but just right.

Riku wrapped his arms around my waist and placed his chin on my shoulder. "I promise you, I'm not usually this clingy… I just can't believe this is happening… I've dreamt about it… but I had already resigned to it never happening… I don't know if I want to punch Cloud or hug him…" Riku said and I growled.

"Why don't you punch him… really hard, in the face… and then you can hug _me_ all you want," I grumbled with a blush.

"That sounds like a really good idea… actually. I say we invite him to lunch and execute our plan." Riku said and I shuddered when I felt his hot breath against the shell of my ear.

I cackled maniacally. "Yeeeees… that sounds lovely!" I said with a smirk.

Riku kissed the back of my ear and I shuddered a third time. "Can you please not do that?" I asked dryly and tried to wiggle from his hold.

"What? This?" he asked and kissed the back of my ear before giving it a lick. I jumped and tried a little bit harder to get out of his hold. Riku laughed and refused to loosen his hold on me.

"That's so weird!" I whined before I realized that I was whining and shut up. Riku laughed again and I stepped on his foot.

He let go of me after that.

"Kairi, what have I gotten myself into?" I asked and gasped when she made a small noise.

I watched her open her eyes and another wave of relief hit me when she smiled. "Hey, Daddy…" she said.

"Hey, baby… how do you feel? You scared the nilly out of me today," I said and brushed the hair from her forehead.

"What's a nilly?" Kairi asked.

"It's just a substitute word for another word that I would like to have used but deemed it too inappropriate for your angel ears," I explained with a smile.

I watched her eyes move to what I assumed was Riku standing behind me. "Otou-san… I missed you… he never says it but Daddy really missed you and his heart really hurted when you were gone… he even cried," Kairi said and I blushed.

"Kairi aren't you still tired? You should go back to sleep… and I think you must have put something in the fluids, they're making her delusional!" I said and tried to cover Kairi's eyes with my hand.

"Actually Ri-chan, while you were sleeping, your Dad apologized and told me the truth. He also told me that he likes me and now we are a couple. Isn't that cool?" Riku said in an excited voice.

"Yeah! Now I really have two dads! My family is perfect!" Kairi said and I didn't have the heart to quiet their enthusiasm.

"I glad you both are happy now… that's all I really wanted…" I mumbled.

"I'm happy Sora, I'm very happy," Riku said and I blushed when he leaned in to kiss me.

"Wait! K-Kairi is r-right there! I-I can't kiss you when she's watching us! That's indecent!" I said and moved to the other side of Kairi's bed.

"I wanna see! Kissy kissy!" Kairi giggled and I melted at her cuteness.

"Kairi wants a show… I say it's only polite that we give her one…" Riku smirked.

I shook my head and sat in the chair at Kairi's bedside. Riku walked over and kneeled in front of me with a happy look on his face.

"You're lucky that I really like it when you smile like that…" I grumbled before moving in slowly to place a kiss on his lips.

"So did Kairi wake up at…all?" I jerked away from Riku at the sound of my mother's voice and I closed my eyes as if somehow that would make everything freeze.

"Granma! You ruined it! Daddy and Otou-san were going to kiss!" Kairi exclaimed and I wondered how she could be so energetic after being so sick.

"Kids are very resilient," Riku spoke as if reading my mind.

"I told you all you needed was patience… I wasn't lying when I said I knew my son like the back of my hand… and my hand might as well have said 'GAY FOR RIKU' on the back of it…" My mother smirked and I grumbled.

"You guys love picking on me…" I said.

"I can think of other things I'd probably love more…" Riku waggled his eyebrows and I flicked his nose.

"Down boy…" I said before smiling. "The pouch is now empty and I think it's time for us to go home."

"Sounds good to me," Mom said with a smile and I laughed when Kairi was once more in a peaceful slumber.

"I have work tomorrow but I want to take you to dinner… are you free tomorrow night?" Riku asked.

"Well if you don't mind waiting until after seven, it should be okay…" I said.

"Prefect. I'll see you tomorrow, Sora," Riku said and I flushed when he planted a small kiss on my lips.

"Okay…" I trailed off before we went our separate ways.

A/N: I know you all are probably like... "Uh, where's the reply section for the last chapter's reveiws?" The truth is, I'm going on vacation tomorrow and this whole day has been devoted to preparing for it and it's been really exhausting! D: I'm literally about to fall asleep at this computer and it's not even 11 PM, so instead of updating after my vacation, you guys would have to wait a whole week, I decided you guys wouldn't mind if I skipped the replies just this once so that I could squeeze in one last update before I leave tomorrow... I'm not sure if I'll have Internet on this trip that's why... I have read every one of the reviews for chapter 11 and I REALLY appreciate them! When I get back from this trip, I'll be sure to reply to all the reviews for this chapter in the next update! THANKS SO MUCH!


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own and I have never owned except for the plot and Jane. I don't own anything else that's in the story.

I'm back from my trip and I am getting back into the swing of things at home! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! :D

I'm going to sound like a newb but... Question: Is FEELS just short for feelings? I have lots of people reviewing saying, "this story gave me so many feels!"... what exactly does that mean?

Chapter 13

It was almost noon when we had finally gotten home. Kairi was still sleeping but I woke her up after an hour to make her eat something.

She was very reluctant to say the least.

"Kairi, please just eat the apple… I peeled the skin off and everything!" I whined.

"I don't want to throw up anymore…" She said quietly and gave me a frightened look.

"Otou-san fixed you up, remember? You should be fine now," I said and Kairi smiled.

"You called him Otou-san… you usually don't do that," Kairi pointed out and I blushed.

"Thank you for pointing that out to me, now eat the apple," I said and handed her a slice.

I sighed in relief when she took a small bite out of the slice I had handed to her. When she realized her body wasn't going to reject the food, she took another slice from the plate.

"That's my girl," I said fondly and kissed her forehead. I yawned before walking over to my bedroom and waking up my mother.

"Sorry Mom, but I need you to watch Kairi while I go over to 81 Produce to talk about schedules," I said and my mother nodded.

"Go… have fun!" She said with a smile and I returned it before heading out.

81 Produce had a surprisingly inconspicuous building for a company that reigned in so much doe from its actors. Just thinking about the talent inside the building made me want to jump up and down and pump my fist up to the sky.

I was a part of this… or was going to be because I hadn't started yet. I entered the building and smiled at Selphie. "Hey there, Selphie!" I said not realizing how loud I was… but I was too excited to care.

Selphie gasped and beamed at me. "They chose you? That's fantastic! We need another bubbly character in this dreary old place!" Selphie said with a sigh.

"I don't think it's dreary at all. There's such a productive atmosphere…" I said and looked around. I had been here before… but then I was so nervous that I couldn't really pay attention to all of the great things inside.

Along the walls were pictures with the voice actors on one side and the animated character on the other. They must have been the actor's greatest pride because one actor or actress could be the father or mother of all different kinds of characters.

"Sora, are you going to stand there all day or are we going to have our appointment?" I jumped at the familiar dry voice and turned quickly to see Vincent Valentine.

"Oh yes! Sorry…" I said and followed Vincent into an office.

"So you wanted to talk scheduling?" Vincent started.

"Yes… I wasn't sure how the hours worked here… is it possible for me to start early and work till 5:00? I have a part time job at a small market place to pay for my apartment… so I was wondering if that was something I could do," I asked suddenly feeling very nervous again.

Valentine sat quietly and thought for a second. "Here at 81 Produce we expect you to give us more than one hundred percent… if you think you can do that with a job on the side… you are highly mistaken," I nodded but spoke again.

"Working here is my top priority… but I was under the impression that money didn't come until I had roles… and that it would be a while before I got those… how am I supposed to feed my daughter and give her shelter if I don't have a paying job?" I asked politely.

"We can always find someone else…" Vincent Valentine said in warning and I panicked.

"Please don't! I'll figure something out! It seems I forget that you call the shots here… please tell me when I need to come in to work and when I can leave… do you work on Sundays as well?" I asked and bowed my head in a submissive manner. As much as I hated it… if I really wanted this job I would have to sacrifice for it.

"Smart boy… now, since you have had no training whatsoever in this business. I'm giving you a rather busy schedule so that you can catch up to the other new actors quickly. You're going to get here at 8:30 every day and leave around seven… half your day will be devoted to training and the other half can be towards small non-paid jobs for experience," Vincent explained.

I nodded. "Thank you, sir…" I spoke softly, afraid that if I spoke louder I might offend him.

"Usually, new actors like yourself would be assigned to a group where you would all share one agent. You however are an exception to this because I will be taking you in personally…" Mr. Valentine drawled slowly and I nodded.

"I believe it's time to get your picture taken and your voice sampled for our website. Please follow me."

"Okay," I said and stood.

"I have assigned Roxas to be your mentor and trainer. Though he is also only twenty-one, making the both of you the youngest actors in the agency, he has worked as a voice actor since he was seven. He's quite the veteran and his voice type is close enough that he can offer valuable advice," Vincent said and I nodded.

Though on the inside, the excitement was coming back to me. Roxas has been a voice actor for fourteen years! That's amazing! And he was going to help me? This was going to be so great!

I jumped when I was suddenly grabbed by someone. "This is the new actor right? He's in need of make up, right? May I?" I turned to see a strange looking man with an eye patch.

"Yes, Xigbar. You may do his makeup. He needs his picture taken," Vincent spoke, his voice portraying his annoyance.

"I'm Sora," I said and smiled at Xigbar.

"Well aren't you a cutie! Come sit in the chair so I can fix your face." Xigbar's voice suddenly turned serious and I immediately sat in the chair before waiting for more instruction.

"Close your eyes." Xigbar said and I obeyed.

After about five minutes, Xigbar shoved a mirror in my face and I smiled at my reflection.

"Wow… it doesn't even look like I'm wearing any make up but my eye color is the first thing I notice," I said.

"That's because I'm a genius… I believe you need to get your picture taken," Xigbar reminded and I stood.

"Thank you!" I said and entered the room Vincent had entered minutes ago.

"Just stand against the white screen and smile at the camera," Vincent said and I followed instructions.

"You can't smile like that, Sora!" I looked over to the doorway to see Roxas smiling at me. "You want to look your best. Give us a nice beam! It will match the cutesy aura you give off."

I frowned. "A cutesy aura?" I asked.

"Yep! I'm pretty sure that's why 81 decided to take you… so you need to play it up!" Roxas laughed.

I grumbled for a second before thinking about Kairi. It would be easy to act like Kairi; _she _was cute.

I sighed and closed my eyes for a second before opening them, a vision of happy, smiley Kairi in the forefront of my mind.

"There we go! That's perfect!" Roxas said and I watched the camera flash.

"That will look good on the website," Vincent said and turned to Roxas. "You need to coach him a little about his voice sample. I'll be on the third floor when you are ready."

"Gotcha." Roxas affirmed before turning to me. "So this voice sample has to show what 81 Produce liked about you. And what we liked about you was your enthusiasm, the youth in your voice, and that cuteness that was so hard to ignore."

"So those three factors have to become apparent in my sample?" I asked.

"Yes. Also the point is to draw in a few fans in the process. It's almost a tiny little self-promoter, you understand? This along with your picture is supposed to get you out there and hopefully get people to remember your name when watching new animated films and shows. Now… I can't really tell you what to say but keep that in mind when you do it. It'll be easier than you think, I promise," Roxas said and we made our way to the third floor.

"Stand in front of the mike, and I will queue you to start," Vincent said and I waited for my signal.

When Vincent's hand waved I began. "Hi! … uhhhh… shit, can I try this again?" I asked, my face as red as a lobster. "I'm sorry… I usually don't freeze up like that…" I said.

Vincent sighed and glared at Roxas. "I thought I told you to coach him…"

"I thought I did… Sora… it would probably be smart to introduce yourself… so they can put a name to a voice and then a voice to a face?" Roxas suggested and I nodded. "And remember that this is only thirty seconds so make it count!" Roxas smiled.

"Got it! I can do this!" I said and shook out my tense muscles.

"Then do it… please," Vincent spoke.

I nodded and took a breath. I needed to stop over thinking this… Roxas said it was easier than I thought it would be so I just needed to go with the flow. I looked to Vincent and waited for my queue.

When it was given, I started again. "Hiya! My name is Sora Smith! I'm the new guy at 81 Produce and I am so excited to be here! I sure can tell I'm in for a long road ahead of me, but I'm so happy to finally make my dreams come true! I just have to work really hard and follow my heart… um, I think… Anyway, I hope all you animation lovers out there can support me and follow me as I give this voice acting job my very best shot!" I stopped hoping that that was long enough to be my sample.

"You did it, Sora!" Roxas congratulated.

"Thanks…" I said with a blush. I felt like I was acting like a five year old… it was a little embarrassing…

But I couldn't deny how fun it was!

"That was surprisingly charming… everything you said screamed novice but made you more likable in the end," Valentine said with a smirk.

"Uhh, thanks, I guess," I wasn't sure if he was trying to compliment me or insult me.

"Well, that was all that we needed from you today. I plan to see you starting Monday, in my office at 8:30 on the dot," Valentine said and I smiled.

"Thank you, sir," I said and moved to the door.

"Your picture and sample should be on the website in one hour," Vincent added.

"Thank you, Mr. Valentine," I said and took the stairs before leaving the building.

As soon as I left the building, reality hit me like a boulder and I realized.

I would have to quit my job at the Quickie Mart.

I would have no money to pay for Kairi's education, let alone her food and living space…

What the fuck was I going to do?

Before I went into panic mode I drove home and entered my apartment calmly. When the door was closed I began to freak.

"Mom! Oh my God! I'm going to lose the apartment and we're going to starve!" I yelped and collapsed onto the couch… my brain envisioning Kairi and I living in poverty and then getting sold into sex slavery!

"Son, what is the matter with you? Kairi is sleeping!" My mother whispered loudly before sitting next too me on the couch.

"The agency isn't going to let me keep my job at the Quickie Mart… how am I supposed to pay for this house? For Kairi to eat and live comfortably… I have to have experience before I get a paying role! I have no idea when that's going to happen!" I covered my face and took deep breaths to calm myself down.

"Sora… maybe you two will have to live at my house until you start getting paid jobs," Mom suggested and I stiffened.

"No way! I refuse to rely on you like that. I'm not a child anymore! I'm a grown man!" I said firmly.

"Sora, I don't think you have a choice!" Mom snapped and I bit my lip.

"Think about Kairi, Sora. She need's a stable, familiar place to come home to… she's too young to be jerked around because her father has to wait a few months to get his feet on the ground!" My mother said and I sighed.

"You're right… I just… I wish it didn't have to be this way," I said sadly. I always took pride in the fact that I could take care of my daughter and myself all on my own. As much as I loved my mother and loved when she was around… living at my childhood home once again only made me feel like a failure and a sorry excuse for a father.

"I'm sorry, Son…" My mother said and put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

My phone rang and I pulled it from my pocket before answering. "Hello…" I said not realizing my voice was still filled with sadness.

"Are you okay, Sora? Is something wrong?" I mentally slapped myself when I realized it was Riku on the phone.

"Y-yeah! I'm totally fine… what's up?" I asked adopting a cheerier voice.

"Well, I was calling to make sure you were still up for dinner tonight… I realized earlier that I said tomorrow night at the hospital forgetting that it was the early hours of the morning," Riku explained.

I frowned. I really wanted to go but I couldn't afford to spend any money now that I was losing a job.

"Riku… I…" I paused and bit my lip. "I want to go… but I'm in a really tight spot with money spending right now…" I said.

"It's a good thing I'm paying for dinner then, isn't it?" Riku said.

"But I hate it when you pay for everything…" I sighed.

"Come on, Sora please? I want to take you out on a date!" Riku said and I could practically see his pleading eyes waiting for me to give in.

"Okay…" I gave in knowing that I would feel bad if I had said no.

"I'll pick you up at seven thirty, is that a good time?" He asked and I agreed before hanging up.

"I have to call Tifa…" I trailed off and my mother kissed me on the head.

"It's going to be okay, Sora," she said and I nodded.

I dialed Tifa's number and frowned when I realized that she would no longer be my boss. "Hello? Sora?" She asked when she picked up.

"Tifa… you know that job I told you I was auditioning for? Well, I got the job," I said.

"That's great Sora, but why do you sound so unhappy?" She asked.

"They want me to quit my job at Quickie Mart… they said I couldn't have side jobs..." I said.

"Oh… damn! I really have to lose my best employee? That's such bull!" Tifa groaned and I chuckled.

"I promise when I become a famous voice actor, you can expect a large donation to thank you for all that you've done for me," I said with a smile.

"That would be much appreciated… and I'm going to hold you to it, kid!" Tifa said.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way…" I said solemnly.

"Aww, don't do that! Quickie Mart will always be around for those in need of a Quickie!" Tifa said proudly and I laughed.

"I hope you realize how strange that sounded." I giggled before letting out a sigh.

"Well, I'm glad you found it amusing. Good luck, my friend… I'll send you your last pay check in the mail," Tifa said and I nodded though I knew that she couldn't see it.

"Thank you, Tifa. Let's keep in touch, yeah?" I asked.

"Sure thing, I'll see you later, kid," she said and I said my goodbye before hanging up.

"I guess it's time to get ready for my date…" I said and stood.

A/N: No date yet, but if you want it you know what to do! (Review!)

**Kurami-chan: **I think we both know that I could never permanently hurt Kairi, but food poising happens to all of us at some point… (ungh, bad memories DX) It all worked out and now the romance can begin! YES! Thanks for the review!

**TayTayXD: **Woo! I like to be spontaneous! XD I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I had lots of fun… and I surprisingly didn't get sunburned! YEAH!

**CheshyCatGrin: **OH MY GOOD LORD THIS WHOLE TIME I THOUGHT YOU WERE A GIRL! AHHHHHHH! Sometimes I forget that there's a whole other gender out there when it comes to the world of fanfiction so you'll have to forgive me on that one! XD Anyway, thanks for the review and I hope the chapter 14 will give you multiple fangasms!

**Aki-chan26: **Thanks so much for the review and don't worry, Cloud won't get beat up too much! XD

**VeePastaa: **Thanks for the review, my friend! And I had lots of fun on my trip, I think I ate enough food for a small country! XD

**Naruxhinacrazy: **HELLO! I have heard lots of good things about you and thanks so much for introducing yourself! And thank you for your contribution to my beautiful fanart! Kairi is so cute! :D And don't worry I won't tell him that I know about the other one! XD Thanks so much, my friend!

**Lone DragonWolf of the Flames: **I love Phil from Hercules… so funny! XD Your suggestion is doable, I shall take it into consideration when I write more chapters (I won't tell you what I'll use them for though)! Thanks for the review! :D

**Witch of Tragedies: **I'm glad you like Sora's plan for Cloud. Hehe, I had to do something dramatic to knock some sense into Sora. XD Thanks for your review!

**Sayonara7: **Yay! Your excitement in this review makes me really happy! I think you'll really like chapter 14! I had a great vacation, thank you very much! :D

**One-With-Darkness: **Yeah, any type of food poisoning/bacterial infection is so horrible… they are not fun at all! But yes, Kairi is just fine. She's a strong little girl! XD I hope you liked the update!

**Guest 1: **Thanks for the review and for the good wishes on my trip!

**Coffemug: **I'm glad I could put a smile on your face and I'm really happy that you are so engaged in this story! It makes me feel like a good writer! :D

**Natural Chaos: **Yeah, I needed something drastic for Sora to finally get a reality check, don't worry! Kairi is a strong girl and she's just fine! Thanks for the review!

**Muffy: **Thanks for your reviews! XD I don't really like it when Fanfiction tries to change up the website! THEY JUST WANT TO MAKE THE WHOLE WORLD DIFFICULT! DX Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter and I am really excited to post the next chapter soon!

**TheDisillusionedDreamer: **Thanks! I think you'll like chapter 14 (next chapter) a lot too!

**Mudkipluvr4ever:** Kairi's so amazing I think she does in fact deserve a pet, but not anytime soon… I hope you liked the chapter and the date is soon to come!

**BlueSharingan26: **Thanks so much for your review! And I hope you liked the update :D!

**Kaouru-chibimaster: **YESS! Everything is great now and the romance shall begin! And don't worry, I'm totally tactless when it comes to talking about gross stuff… probably because I'm not really bothered by talking about vomit and stuff like that… it's only when it happens in real life that I get kinda sick! XD

**Cj Quinn: **Awe! Thanks so much! And of course I'm gonna keep writing! :D

**RedWords: **Yeah, Jane's an interesting character… always ready to step in and say the right things at the right time! :D Thanks for your review!

**LonelyRedTears: **Yay! I'm glad I could make your day! I hope you liked the update! :D

**DeViLaNgEl11: **Thanks so much for all your kind feedback! I hope you liked the update!

**Cityglitch: **Yes, just ignore the spelling mistakes XD… Thanks for the review!

**Formidable Rain: **Thanks for the review! I hope the wait wasn't too torturous this time!

**Lightmaster: **Yeah, I hate typing on my phone because when I'm in a hurry, I can never send out anything important or it will look like gibberish! DX But thanks for the review and your comment is readable so that's all I care about! :D

**Nami1415: **I'm glad you liked it!

**Mochiusagi: **I'm glad people liked Jane's line, sometimes I get too corny/cheesy and people don't find it amusing, so I'm happy you thought it was funny! XD Anyway, I hope you liked the update!

**Rain Chimera: **Awe thanks you my friend! I just wanted to write something different you know, there's only so much of the same thing in every story before you begin to explode from cliché overload! I'm glad you like the story!

**Mr. Coopcake: **YAY! I'm really happy people don't think that line was cheesy! :D Anyway, I'm glad you could refrain from being to elated by Kairi's misfortunes… Thanks for the review and my favorite character is… wait for it… well… it's complicated. I really like the younger Sora from KH 1… his character is a little different in KH 2 because he's older and I don't like it as much. But I also like Demyx from KH 2 because his character is much more dynamic than others realize. I won't go into that! XD Anyway, thanks for the review!

**Guest 2: **THANK YOU SO MUCH!

**Gamegirl-sayz-hi: **Thanks! I'm glad!

**Guest 3: **Thanks you for enjoying the story!

**MakingMelody: **Wow! I'm glad you like the story so much but make sure to get enough sleep! I don't want you to die from sleep deprivation! DX Anyway, thanks for the review!


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own and I have never owned except for the plot! And we all know that I _certainly _don't own the iphone or Siri… so yeah…

And happy birthday to Miss Macabre Grey… I hope you like the chapter! But I'm so mad at myself because I forgot that I decided to separate the date into two parts… so when I was telling all my reviewer friends to be ready for chapter 14 because it was a little steamy… it was actually chapter 15… damn… sorry about that! XD

Chapter 14

I took a shower and got dressed hoping that the butterflies in my stomach were really just gentle hunger pangs.

What was the matter with me? It was just dinner with Riku… and it's not like other people will think we're on a date when they see us eating together…

And was I really worried about that? What others thought?

I sighed. I liked being around Riku… if I didn't I wouldn't have told him all of the stuff I was feeling.

Was I doing the right thing? Was this really what my heart wants? And what's with all of this second-guessing? It was going to drive me crazy!

I groaned and sat on my bed.

"Sounds like someone is a little nervous…" Mom said as she entered the room.

I glared at her. "I'm not nervous… I'm just worried…" I said.

"Worried about what?" My mother asked with a concerned look on her face.

"If this is what I really want? What if I realize later on that my feelings aren't as strong as I thought they were… I don't want to trick Riku like that!" I sighed again.

"Sora… you wouldn't have agreed to date him if you didn't really like him… you're just not that kind of person… I would know; I raised you. Really Sora, you're a grown man, it's like you're going on your first date or something!" Mom said and slapped my back.

It stung a little. "This is kinda my first date, Mom! I've never dated another dude! Excuse me if I'm a little off kilter!" I said.

"You have nothing to worry about, Sora… Riku's probably already in love with you!" My mom laughed.

"That's basically what's making me worry…" I said under my breath but stood. "I guess… it's time for new beginnings all around…" I said with a smile.

"Sora… what are you wearing?" My mother asked and I looked down at my outfit.

"Clothes?" I answered, unsure of what she was getting at.

"You can't wear that to dinner! Were you even thinking when you put that on?" Mom exclaimed.

"Was I supposed to wear something in particular to dinner?" I asked.

My mom sighed exasperatedly and stood. "You have to look nice, Sora! You have to look like you put at least a little effort into getting ready! Otherwise, you'll offend Riku and probably be the world's shittiest date!" My mother yelped.

"Okay! I'm sorry, what would you suggest I wear?" I asked.

"A dress shirt for starters, I need to look through your pants… and do you have a belt that actually matches your shoes?" Mom asked.

I opened my drawers for my mother and pulled out a white dress shirt before pulling off my grey t-shirt. "Does this shirt work?" I asked to make sure.

"Yes… thank you!" She said and started looking through my drawers.

I put on the shirt and sat on my bed… I couldn't believe my mother was helping me pick out an outfit for my date… I couldn't help but feel like a little kid.

"These are nice! How come I never see you wear them?" My mother inquired and I groaned.

"I hate those pants! Their too tight around my thighs!" I whined.

"You're such a big baby! Put on the damn pants!" Mom barked and I obeyed.

"Here, wear these," My mother ordered and I took the black belt and shoes from her hands.

When I was done, I was wearing a white dress shirt, which my mother made me undo the top two buttons, charcoal grey pants, which my mother called straight leg in style, my one nice belt, which my mother called shabby, and my one pair of dress shoes… she had no comment for those.

"That's much better… now when is he coming to pick you up?" Mom asked and I jumped when I heard a knock on the door.

"Shit!" I said and grabbed my wallet and keys. I left my bedroom and opened the front door. "Hey… I was going to check on Kairi one more time before I left, do you want to come in for a sec?" I asked.

"Sure thing, do you mind if I check on her as well?" Riku asked and I shook my head.

"Not at all," I said and we walked into Kairi's room.

"I think she's still sleeping," I whispered and moved over to her bed. Kairi opened her eyes when I kneeled to get closer.

"Hey Daddy… I'm hungry…" she said and I smiled.

"That's good to hear, Kairi-cat. Granma is going to get you something to eat, okay. Otou-san and I are going to head out," I explained.

"Otou-san is here?" She asked and Riku moved into the room.

"Konban wa, Ri-chan. Good evening," He said probably translating what he had said for Kairi.

"Konban wa…" Kairi yawned, " 'Tou-san…" She finished.

Riku smiled and reached down to pet her head. "She looks so much better already," Riku said looking at me.

"Probably from all of that beauty sleep," I said with a smile before standing. "Are you ready to go?" I asked.

"Sure… You look… really nice by the way. To be honest, I figured you would be wearing jeans and a T-shirt." He chuckled.

"Well… why don't I be honest as well and say… twenty minutes ago, that _is _what I was wearing… my mother almost had a fit…" I grumbled.

Riku laughed and took my hand. "Have you ever been to Nonna Mia?" He asked.

I shook my head. "Mom, can you make something for Kairi to eat, please? She actually told me she was hungry," I said.

"I will make her something good then, you two have fun okay… And he doesn't necessarily haveto come home _tonight_," My mother smirked before winking and my face flushed redder than a chili pepper.

"Oh my god mother, I'm not in high school!" I said and quickly pulled Riku out of the house and over to his car.

"Your mother sure likes to ruffle your feathers… it's really cute," Riku smirked and I shot him the bird as I got in the car.

"Why is it that every person I meet thinks I'm cute? I'm not cute! Twenty-one year old males are never cute!" I yelled.

"Wait, who else said you were cute?" Riku asked and I frowned at the possessiveness in his voice.

"Does that really matter?" I asked.

"Yes. Because we're dating and I don't want other men hitting on you," Riku said completely blunt.

I chuckled. "No one is going to hit on me Riku… I was at 81 Produce today making my voice sample and getting my picture taken… my coach Roxas said that I needed to take advantage of my 'cutesy aura'… when did I ever have one of those?" I asked as I rolled my eyes.

"Wait! You were at 81 Produce? You got the job?" Riku asked with an excited look on his face.

That's right! I never told him I had gotten the job because we were arguing at the time. "Yeah… I actually got the letter the day we had that big argument," I explained.

"Sora! I'm so happy for you! You're one step closer to having the job you've always wanted! And this voice sample thing, can I hear it or is it only for the agency?" Riku asked. I couldn't help but feel pride swell I my chest at how impressed Riku was at the news.

"Yeah… it should be on the website by now if you want to hear it…" I mumbled, not really sure I wanted him to hear it.

"When we get to the restaurant I'll look it up. This is really exciting!" Riku said.

"It's not that great…" I mumbled again with a blush on my face.

It wasn't long until we reached the Italian restaurant and I sighed in relief when I realized it wasn't a fancy restaurant. "Can we sit by the window?" I asked.

"Sure thing," Riku said and pulled my chair out for me as I walked over. I groaned.

"You really don't have to do that… I am a guy, you know," I said.

"Yes, I am very aware of your gender. However, I take pride in doing gentlemanly actions," Riku said and pulled out his phone.

"Wow, that's a really fancy phone!" I said and leaned over the table to look at it.

"It's an iphone…" He said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Am I supposed to know what that is? _My _phone is a dinosaur, in case you forgot," I said with a smile.

"You've never even seen a commercial for it? I mean, almost everyone and their mama has one of these…" Riku said.

"Well, it's good to know that I'm out of the loop," I said dryly.

"Aw, Sora I didn't mean it like that! Here, why don't I show you how it works?" Riku asked.

"I can't see it from this end of the table," I said and Riku smirked.

"Well then why don't you come over here and sit in my lap?" he suggested and I blushed before pulling my chair next to his.

"You're no fun…" Riku mumbled and I smiled.

"So… how is this thing even a phone? It doesn't even have keys with numbers on them!" I said completely confused by these futuristic contraptions.

"Sora… don't tell me you've never seen a touch screen phone before," Riku said and gave me a serious look.

I went on the defensive. "I haven't! I've heard of them but I've never seen one! Jeez, I became a parent at sixteen, I didn't have time to worry about phones!" I glared at Riku.

"You're right… I'm sorry… it's just hard to believe, you know… since you're so young," Riku said before adding, "You shouldn't pout like that if you're worried about not being cute."

"I'm not pouting, I'm scowling," I stated and Riku laughed.

"Okay, cutie. Anyway… with a touch screen, you don't need a keyboard. Look." Riku pressed the phone button and a dial pad showed up on the screen. "And check this out," He said before pressing a little mike button. "Call Sora," He said casually and after a few seconds my phone started ringing in my pocket.

"Whoa! That's so fancy! What else can it do?" I asked getting excited about all the crazy functions on this iphone.

"I'm pretty sure an iphone can do anything. You can even talk to her… her name is Siri." Riku said with a grin and I scowled at him again.

"No it can't! It's a machine!" I said disbelievingly.

"Don't say that to her!" Riku said and I looked down when I heard the phone make a noise. "Siri, is there an 81 produce actor named Sora Smith?" Riku asked.

"Let me see…" My eyes widened when the phone spoke. "I found this for you," The female voice said from the phone and the screen suddenly had my picture on it.

"Holy shit!" I yelled forgetting that I was in a restaurant.

"Can you play Sora Smith's voice sample, please?" Riku asked and my eyes widened when my voice came out of the phone.

When my voice sample stopped playing I was red as a tomato. I sounded like a little boy!

I jumped when Riku pressed his lips to mine. I tried to pull away but then his hand brushed against the hairs at the back of my neck that made me shiver then unwind. Riku pressed his tongue against my bottom lip and I opened my mouth to deepen our kiss.

It had been so long since I had kissed anyone like this. I couldn't deny how pleasurable it was to be kissed by Riku… I was always able to snap myself out of the trance kissing put me under… but not with Riku. I made a small noise when Riku slid his tongue along the roof of my mouth… when did that ever feel good?

For the first time in a very long time, I was actually disappointed when he pulled his lips from mine.

"I'm sorry, you're just so irresistible… I still can't believe you're mine," he said softly into my neck.

I flushed. "You don't have to apologize…" I spoke shyly.

"Ummm, I'm sorry… but I wasn't sure when the best time would be to come in and take your orders… I didn't mean to interrupt!" A girl asked, her face as red as a tomato.

I bit my lip when I realized for a second time that I had forgotten I was in a restaurant. "No, we're sorry, we can do that later, right Riku?" I asked hoping he understood that I wasn't in the mood for kissing in public restaurants but I wasn't against doing it somewhere we didn't have an audience.

Riku sent me a predatory glance. "Absolutely," he said.

That look actually made me nervous. I turned to the waitress. "I just want a water…" I blushed. "Sorry, I didn't really take time to look at the menu…"

The waitress smiled. "It's fine… what would you like to drink, sir?" She asked and looked at Riku.

"Iced tea, please," he said and the waitress nodded.

"I'll go get those for you and then come back to take your orders… is this going to be on separate checks?" The waitress asked.

"It's on me," Riku said and I scowled again.

"I'm sorry Sora, but that is a one hundred percent pout… that's too adorable to be scowling!" Riku said.

I scoffed at him and opened the menu. I could tell just by the description that I wanted to eat the chicken Panini.

"Do you know what you want?" Riku asked and I nodded.

When the waitress came back, she took our orders and I smiled. "I bet Kairi would have loved what you ordered… she's crazy about pasta," I said with a chuckle.

"One weekend you two should come over to my house and I'll cook different kinds of pasta dishes for you to eat. Maybe invite Zell as well because I'm really bad at cooking singular portions," Riku said and I lit up at that thought.

"That would be so great! Maybe you could teach Kairi as well. She really looks up to you, Riku. She'd love to cook with her Otou-san…" I trialed off when I mind started to imagine it. Kairi and Riku cooking in the kitchen with Zell and I excitedly waiting for it all to be finished. "How domestic…" I thought aloud.

Riku chuckled. "I prefer to think of it as simple. And simple is great."

We ate quietly when our food came and talked over cappuccinos for a while. It was during that time that I learned a little bit more about Riku.

He really liked talking about health. I mean he is a doctor, but his eyes sparkle so much when he talks about his patients and how much he learns from them. Riku was just an overall gentle person.

But there was some badness deep down. You could see it flash in his eyes from time to time. It made me slightly uneasy.

I couldn't dislike him for it though… it's not like he was going to attack me, or anything.

I was about to ask him about one of his patients when my phone rang. I pulled it out and sent Riku and apologetic look. "Hello? Is everything okay over there?" I asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine. But an idea came to me while you were out and I wanted to tell you. Why don't you live with Riku? You didn't want to live with me and Riku would probably love to have you and Kairi!" My mom suggested as if her idea was genius.

"No! Mom, I can't do that. We haven't known each other for that long and I've already resigned to the fact that Kairi and I would have to move in with you," I said quietly in an attempt to hide my words from Riku.

It wasn't enough. "You have to move in with your mother? Why? Is that what you meant when you said you we're money tight?" Riku asked, his face full of concern.

"Mom… that was wrong and you know it…" I said before hanging up. I was sincerely disappointed in my mother for calling me just so Riku would know about my situation.

"It's nothing, really," I said.

"Nothing? Sora, you have to move out of your apartment! That's not nothing." Riku said and took my hand. "Please, tell me what's going on," He pleaded.

"81 Produce took me into the agency, but I might not have a paying role for a long time… and they refused to let me have a side job," I said. "So… I had to quit my job at Quickie Mart and currently have no source of income…" I said solemnly.

"So, you are moving in with your Mom," Riku said.

"Just until I start getting paid and can provide for Kairi by myself… I don't really want to go back to my childhood home at all but I have no other options and I have to think about what's best for Kairi," I said.

"Sora, live with me!" Riku said with a smile as he gave my hand a squeeze.

"That's what my mother was suggesting but Riku… you've only known me for like a month… we haven't even finished our first date! To move in with you now would be like walking on thin ice with an elephant at your side," I said being serious.

"But you know Kairi would love it! Come on Sora, my house can easily be home to you both and it's closer to Kairi's school, along with 81 Produce. I can even take in your mother if she wants! Kairi would have lots of living space and she'd be surrounded by a family that loves her and can take care of her. This is a _good _idea, Sora," Riku said, his voice becoming more and more passionate as he continued.

"And it doesn't have to mean anything for our relationship. I told you we could take baby steps. I have enough rooms… you don't have to sleep in mine. But I would love to have you near, to have Kairi near. It would make me so happy, please!" Riku said.

"Riku… I feel like this is too much… I've taken so much from you already!" I said.

"You only ever take what I offer, Sora. And I want to provide for you guys, let me take care of you. I won't have any hard feelings either if you want to move out after you get back on your feet," Riku added.

"You really mean that?" I asked.

"Yes… I mean it." He gave me a serious look. "How about you stay over tonight and if you like how it feels, you can move in. And if you really don't want to stay, you can move in with your mother?" Riku offered.

"Fine," I said and Riku paid the restaurant bill before we left.

A/N: So there's the first part of the date! Review to see what happens next! :D

**Lightmaster: **Thanks for the review, I hope you liked the chapter!

**Kurami-chan: **I did like his job at the quickie mart but he needed to commit 150 percent to gaining experience before entering showbiz! Thanks so much for the review!

**TayTayXD: **Thanks! And yeah, Sora will be fine as you can see! :D I hope you liked the update!

**RedWords: **I had lots of fun, I ate enough yummy food to feed a small country… and that is my idea of fun! XD I hope you liked the update!

**Dreamy Duskywing: **Things will all work out, don't worry! And yes, I tried my hardest to make Sora seem as stubborn as possible!

**Formidable Rain: **Yeah, apparently "feels" is tumblr speak… it basically means that someone is overflowing with emotions and feelings, so much so that they cannot seems to function well enough to type the 'ing' in the word feelings! XD It's fine though, I'm not really bothered by it… I just wasn't sure exactly what it meant! I won't use it though because this is FF . net and not tumblr. (I don't even have a tumblr)

**JadeDawn: **Thanks so much for letting me know about the whole "feels" things. It would make sense that I don't know it because I don't have a tumblr. I totally agree that the mobile site is a pain in the butt! Thanks so much for the review and don't worry about it too much if reviewing is really annoying… I'd rather you just walk off feeling happy that you had enjoyed the story, than to review and be annoyed for a while.

**Coffemug: **Thanks again, friend! I hope you liked the update!

**CheshyCatGrin: **D'AWE! I LOVE YOU TOO! :'D Thanks for the review, buddy!

**Muffy: **Thanks so much! I think the whole thing with the apple is easy to picture because we've all been in a similar situation at one point in our lives (the whole not wanting to eat something for fear of being sick, thing) Hehe, don't worry Vinnie may be a hardass but you'll see that he has a heart too! :D

**Lone DragonWolf of the Flames: **Thanks for the review! I thought about replying to the reviews for The Pack: TT but then I thought about how long it takes me to reply to all of these reviews… it would take quite a chunk out of my day. But I'll keep your advice in mind :D

**Sayonara 7: **Thanks so much for enjoying the story and really thanks for explaining the "feels" thing for me! I understood your explanation perfectly! I hope you liked the chapter but when I told you about chapter 14 I actually meant 15… SORRY! XD

**Cazzylove: **Thank you, Caz! Now I want some chocolate!

**Natural Chaos: **It was fun, thanks! And I hope you liked the update!

**Naruxhinacrazy: **Ah! Sorry! I didn't mean to get anyone into trouble! XD Thanks so much for enjoying the story! I hope the update satisfies!

**Mudkipluvr4ever: **Thanks so much for the review, and don't worry… things are going to work out!

**MidnightxMusic: **YAY! NEW READER! HELLO AND WELCOME! Thanks so much for your kind works and review!

**Animesaki: **Why are there always people who know exactly what I'm going to do next? You amaze me with your perception skills! XD Don't tell anyone though! Hehe! Thanks for the review!

**Guest 1: **I am a girl! YAY FOR THE V-J'S! Okay sorry I got a little too excited! XD But yeah, my name is Amanda…

**Ssexykite: **Thanks for liking my other stories, but if this was all you had to say… you should have just kept it to yourself… you popped my bubble of positivity… not cool.

**SaixIsMean103: **Thanks so much for saying all those nice things! But I have to keep you in suspense! I have to give people a chance to review so I can't do more than one update a day… SORRY! I'm a really slow reader so I've never been in the position where I felt someone needed to write more! Gah! I feel bad DX!

**MrCoopCake: **Thanks for always reviewing and having good things to say! Yeah, I really like Marluxia too… even with pink hair and flower petals he's still so manly! XD And about Xigbar… that was supposed to be funny… I purposely made him seem flamingly gay but totally serious when it came to make-up… sorry if that wasn't clear and seemed confusing! XD And I liked the Halloween town keyblade… I never actually keep up with the actual names of the keyblades.

**Mochiusagi: **Yes, Sora must learn the hard way… though he won't have it too bad… he's got too many people looking out for him for that to happen! :D Thanks for the review!

**BlueSharingan26: **Thanks you so much for the review! I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope this one was good too! And thanks so much for your reviews for "Fire" too! I always like it when I get reviews even though the story ended a while ago! Thanks for being awesome!

**TwistedFate108: **It's fine, I care more about your liking of the story! I'm glad you can die happy now! But I really, really hope that you live happy instead! :D

**CityGLITCH: **Yeah, that's the way the cookie crumbles! Thanks for the review!

**Miss Macabre Grey: **HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! :D I hope this update was okay! And don't worry about Sora, everything always works out for him eventually! XD And you're rant was fine… actually it was kind of funny because I could really easily hear an angry voice in my head as I read it. We'll see cute Kairi some more soon… and the voice acting adventure is soon to come as well! Thanks for the review! :D


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **Nada… except for the plot and Sora's mother.'

Sorry this one's a little short!

Chapter 15

It was pretty late what we reached Riku's house. We entered the living room and Riku sat on the couch.

"I don't know if you want a tour or anything, but I figured you were kind of tired," Riku said and I nodded. I sat down next to him on the couch and looked at the spacious room I was in.

"You might be thinking about why I have such a big house when I'm only one person…" he said and I smiled at him.

"I wasn't really thinking that but now that you mention it, I am a bit curious," I replied and Riku chuckled.

"Well, after all that drama with Xemnas… I wanted something physical to represent the success I had even without him around… It wasn't that easy to buy this house but I'm glad I put in all those extra hours at work to cover the costs. And I also wanted a home in America that my parents would be proud of. They always wanted the best for me… that's why they sent me to medical school here. They were actually wealthy doctors in Japan, but they believed that I would have more success over here. When they died, Zexion came here as well to follow my footsteps… but having my parents die so far away from me really tore me up inside, you know… I hadn't seen them in months and then suddenly I get a letter from my brother saying that they got hit by a drunk driver… it was really bad. I had lost it, and that's when this house became more for frivolous parties and binge drinking than a symbol of my success… Zexion kicked the shit out of me though and that's when I got myself back in gear…" Riku laughed. "My brother was always the kind of person that only revealed emotion when it was really needed… I always called him the turtle man because he would hide away in his shell and only come out when it was completely necessary. He helped me remember why I was here," Riku said.

"And why exactly were you here?" I asked.

"To make my parents proud, to amount to something outside the bounds of my homeland… when I remembered that, I completely broke down and all that sadness I was hiding away about my parents was expelled. Believe it or not, I rank that moment as one of the most liberating experiences of my life. I hadn't noticed how badly my emotions had trapped me… so when I finally let go, I felt like I could breath again." Riku said and I scooted closer to him.

"I'm sorry about your parents, Riku…" I said softly before resting my head on his shoulder. "So you are a full-blooded, born and raised, Japanese male… I mean the name certainly gave away the Japanese heritage but I didn't realize your childhood was over there." I said.

"Yeah, Japanese is actually my first language." Riku supplied.

"Really, your English is perfect though!" I exclaimed softly.

"I had _extensive _English tutoring since I was five… Zexion as well… and I have to think about hiding my accent in order to speak without it," Riku said.

"Really! I want to hear this accent of yours!" I said excitedly and Riku laughed.

"You have to catch me with my guard down… maybe when I get really sleepy, or when I'm drunk," Riku replied.

"Then I have to make sure I stay awake long enough to see you get sleepy," I said.

"That's very hard to do, I can go without sleep for about a week," Riku added.

"That's not fair…" I mumbled.

"You're pouting again." Riku laughed and I hid my face in his shoulder. "Tell me about you Sora… what of your childhood?" Riku asked.

"Well… I was born here… my father died when I was pretty young, around seven… Sometimes I wonder if things would be different if my father had stayed alive… but I dismiss those thoughts whenever I get them… it's not like I regret having Kairi… without her I don't really amount to much… but anyway, it's basically always been my mother and I, until high school when I met Lacey… I loved everything about her, she was like this goddess that I had somehow caged… I would get so nervous just being near her, it was ridiculous. So in sophomore year, when she wanted to further our relationship… I pretty much had a heart attack! I had no idea what I was doing! I was afraid to touch her!" I laughed at my childhood self before continuing. "The truth was… I had put her up on a pedestal so high that she couldn't stand it. She grew to resent me and when she found out she was pregnant with my kid… she honestly didn't want anything to do with it. And that devastated me… I was more than ready to do right by her and she didn't even want to hold Kairi when she was born… I've learned that too much love can actually turn a person heartless…" I said sadly.

"I don't think that's true, Sora… look at Kairi. You've never loved anyone more than her and she has the _biggest _heart I have ever seen… and I've actually seen hearts before, I'm a doctor." Riku chuckled.

I smiled and snuggled even closer to Riku. "That makes me happy…" I sighed.

"I'm glad… that lady must have been heartless to begin with if she didn't want a family with you. I've never met a more caring father… I mean, all the things you do for Kairi and Kairi alone! It's amazing Sora, how completely selfless you are towards her. And you love being that way… That's what attracted me to you in the first place," Riku explained.

"That's good because I don't think I'll ever change… Kairi has always been the reason I keep breathing," I spoke honestly.

"I can tell. Would it… would it be too much if I tried to insert myself in the love bubble you two are in? From the outside it looks like the best place to be..." Riku asked.

From what I could tell, he was already halfway in it… it was really up to me to grant him complete entrance. "I wouldn't _hate _it, per se…" I said and I could practically feel Riku smile.

"Feel free to pull me in then," He said and turned to face me. I felt myself float away in his aqua marine eyes before he kissed me.

I sighed into the kiss before opening my mouth for him to enter… I was getting the hang of it after being single for so long. When Riku's tongue slid against mine I shuddered and moaned when I felt his hot hand come up to caress my face.

Riku grunted lowly before wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me onto his lap. I felt my face heat up and the mere thought of it but pushed it out of my mind. I really liked kissing Riku and I didn't want to be distracted while I was kissing him.

I shivered slightly when he bit my lip and I ran my hands through his hair. He let out a small moan and I gasped when he began to suck on my bottom lip. I gave another moan and pressed myself closer to him.

The cowardly part of my brain forced me up from his lap when I felt his hard on poking my inner thigh. I suddenly had all these alarms ringing in my head and I covered my face in shame.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry… I-I just… it took me by surprise and I… I'm n-not…" I stuttered. I couldn't even form a sentence with this irrational panic shaking me into a state of alarm.

"No, no… I'm sorry, Sora. I didn't mean to put you in such an uncomfortable position." He said gently before standing. "It's not your fault… I guess I'm a little more warm blooded than I thought," Riku said before taking my hand and giving it a squeeze.

I bit my lip before pressing my lips to his gently. "I'm sorry…" I really did feel bad, but I just couldn't see myself doing that at all… I didn't even know where to begin in envisioning it. And that's what made me so afraid.

"It's okay, Sora. You look tired… how about we find you a room to sleep in and then I'll take care of this if it's still there. Does that work?" Riku suggested and I nodded.

Riku pulled me down the hallway and up the stairs. He walked me to a door and opened it. "I think this is my second favorite room besides my own bedroom, the window faces the backyard so it has a nice view," Riku said and I bit my lip. I didn't want him to think I was disgusted with him… and I didn't want him thinking that I didn't like what had led up to the incident… I just wasn't ready to go past that point.

"Would it be wrong of me to ask if I could stay with you in your room? Does that make it worse?" I asked with a light flush.

"No, personally I thought I had ruined the romantic atmosphere. You sure you want to stay with me? I can't guarantee that I won't poke you with a morning wood…" Riku said and I laughed.

"I can't complain seeing as you could be in the same situation," I said with a chuckle.

"Seeing as my current woody has now depleted, I say we head to bed now, yes?" Riku asked and I took his hand.

Riku pulled me into his room across the hall and I smiled at how simple it was. It had a few pictures here and there. There was a fancy computer at a large desk in the corner and what looked like a little memorial by the closet.

"It's a small shrine for my parents… the real one's in Japan with my other relatives," Riku said and I smiled.

"It's beautiful," I said and admired the Japanese symbols and personal memorabilia surrounding the picture of his parents' smiling faces.

I gave the little shrine a respectful nod before turning and climbing into the bed. Riku chuckled and pulled me into a hug. "You are so fucking cute!" He gushed and I grumbled.

"I really hope they don't get me to do all these cutesy boy roles at 81 Produce… I want to do something really unique… something not many people do, you know…" I said before sitting up and taking off my shoes.

Riku waited until I was finished before pulling me back with him and nuzzling his face in my neck, which made me giggle.

"Good night, Sora." Riku said and snuggled a little closer, I could feel his body relax and after a few minutes I spoke.

"Riku?" I said softly.

"Hmmm?" he answered.

"Can you say, strawberry marmalade?" I whispered.

"Strawberry marmalade…" he said before yawning and I giggled.

The accent was definitely there. The word 'strawberry' didn't sound too different, but 'marmalade' sounded slightly like 'maamuraydo.' It was the most adorable thing I had ever heard.

"Hey, what about… perfect sleepy time?" I said.

I snorted loudly when he repeated my words in a heavy accent. 'Paafekuto sureepee taimu,' I turned to face him and kissed his nose. "You're so precious…" I giggled before drifting to sleep.

A/N: So there you have it, just a little steamy-ness, mostly fluff, but there's more to come…

**Witch of Tragedies: **Hehe, I think the whole world wants Sora and Riku to sleep together! :D Thanks for the review!

**CheshyCatGrin: **Yay! I hope you liked the chappie! Thanks for the support! :D

**Ldrmas: **HAHAH! If this fic wasn't going down the road of the 'slice of life' genre, I would have totally made this an Mpreg just for that purpose, the only thing cuter than one little kid is TWO little kids! :D

**Lightmaster: **Thanks so much! I hope you liked the update!

**Meachristina: **Ha! I've had that happen to me many a time… so I know how you feel! I hope this update helps!

**Mudkipluvr4ever: **I'm glad you like Sora's mom, it's been going both ways with her… some people like her, some people really hate her. I hope you liked the update!

**RedWords: **You know when I re-read this chapter I was like, 'yes steaminess for all my readers' and then when I was done I was like, 'This is like a little teaser! Gah, everyone will be disappointed! DX' But as I said, there is more to come so don't worry this isn't the end of the heat! I hope it was still an enjoyable read! XD

**Natural Chaos: **Yes, you were very right to say that! :D Thanks for the review!

**Aki-chan26: **Yep, Sora actually thinks he can be menacing, but we all know every bone in his body is a cuddle bone! Hehe! I hope you liked the update!

**Guest 1: **Yay! I'm glad their love makes you happy! Thanks for the review!

**Kaoru-chibimaster: **Yeah, I love Jane… she's matchmaker extraordinaire! Yay SQUEE! I hope you liked this chapter and there will be more soon! :D

**Guest 2: **Thanks so much for like the story and all of the characters! And gah, I only realized after I updated that for some people… the steaminess in this chapter wasn't really all the steamy… but don't worry this isn't over! We shall have true lemony goodness someday! I promise!

**The Fuzzy Ficus: **FUZZYYYYYYY! I feel like I haven't heard from you in forever! XD YAYAY WAFFLES! ######!

**Mochiusagi: **Hehehe, Jane, always a schemer! I hoped you liked the update!

**Animesaki: **YESSS! I should really take votes on how many people like Jane and how many people don't… I'm curious. Some people think she's too messy… and I totally understand that because she is… but she's only messy in order to move things along… otherwise NOTHING would happen! XD

**Muffy: **D'awww you're just sayin' that! I'm always happy to read your reviews! :D Thanks so much!

**Lone DragonWolf of the Flames: **Well, thanks for your appreciation! It's really nice of you! :D And Sora's job will get started soon enough… but first the living situations have to be in order… (hint hint) XD

**Coffemug: **Oh my gosh! That would be really cool if this became an audio drama… but don't you need a lot of people for that?Am I legit enough for something like that, anyway? XD Thanks so much for the encouragement and if you think something like that is doable… feel free! That sounds so exciting! It would be like a dream! XD

**CreepshowCarnival: **Hehe! Yes, but that desire is hiding right now XD!

**JadeDawn: **Awe thanks! I hope this update was worth the wait!

**CityGLITCH: **Yeah, Sora is a newb like that! XD Sora has a really close relationship with his mother because, as you read in this update, his father died when he was young and it's always been him and her… it's kinda like how Sora and Kairi are in a way. But I understand where you're coming from. Thanks for the review!

**SitarLover: **Thanks! Hope you liked the chapter!

**TayTayXD: **Hehe! Thanks so much! :D

**Cj Quinn: **I hope you liked the update… though it was mostly just Sora and Riku's background stories and fluff XD

**LadyV11: **Thanks!

**Pretty in Pink: **I love cheese and milk and SoRiku as well! Thanks so much for the review and I hope you liked the update!

**Wow: **Thanks so much! And my favorite KH guy… hmmm… that's a really good question… my favorite original KH character would have to be… Sora or Demyx… but my favorite guy from KH that's not exactly an original character would have to be Leon or Sephiroth… it's hard because I kinda love them all!

**Angelkit: **Thanks so much! I'm really glad that you like it! I hope you liked the update!

**WindWisp: **Thanks! I hope the steamy part… though extremely brief… was okay for you… there will be more, and longer ones… XD

**Formidable Rain: **Sadly the steamy part cannot be in any way defined as smut… I hope it was enough to show that their relationship is moving but REALLY slowly. You really good at seeing that Sora hasn't really left his comfort zone yet… the emotional development for Sora will take a while… he still hasn't even admitted that he's gay. So I hope you're patient XD And you're not pushy at all… you're very considerate and very nice… and I enjoy reading your reviews a lot! 3

**LonelyRedTears: **Yes! That is Jane's purpose! She is cupid! Thanks so much for enjoying the story and don't worry, even if something like that did happen… things will work out! I hope you liked the update!

**Rrespect: **Thanks, my friend!

** .shuichi: **It probably wasn't as yummy as you expected but don't worry… really lemony goodness will come eventually! XD


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own this shit except for the plot and our lovely matchmaker Jane!

Chapter 16

Riku's POV

I woke from my slumber to see Sora sprawled out on the other side of the bed. I smiled and chuckled quietly at Sora's sleeping face.

He was one of those guys who slept with their mouth all open. I shook my head when I noticed the trail of drool escaping from the side of his face.

It was mostly adorable, but slightly gross at the same time. I ran a hand through his hair and he stirred.

He let out a small noise slightly reminiscent of mewl before settling back down into dream world.

I sat up in the bed and ran a hand through my own hair. I was still pretty amazed by the turn of events. I couldn't believe that Sora was actually sleeping next to me as something more than just friends. He was mine…

And Kairi's of course!

I stood and stretched. I looked over to Sora and realized that we both fell asleep with our clothes on from yesterday. I took off my shirt and decided I was too lazy to put on another, more comfortable one. I left the bedroom and headed for the kitchen downstairs.

It was crazy how easily I could picture Kairi and Sora sitting at the bar, happily banging their forks and spoons on the counter chanting for food.

I could see myself turning to fill their plates with the food they were waiting for, kissing each one on the head as I did so.

I sighed. When did I become such a family man?

I could answer that question easily: when I realized that my family here was so small.

I walked over to the fridge and pulled out all the food I would need for breakfast. I pulled out the frying pan from the cabinet and placed it on the stove.

I placed slices of bread in the toaster before moving over to place bacon in the frying pan.

I took out four eggs and placed them on a plate before putting the egg carton back in the fridge. I yawned and moved back to the frying pan. I moved the bacon around on the pan in order to grease it. I smiled at the smell and the sound of the sizzle.

I was watching the bacon cook quietly when I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist. I jumped out of my reverie and smiled. "Hey baby, I didn't hear you come down…" I said softly and continued to slide the bacon around the pan with the spatula.

I chuckled inwardly when I felt Sora press his heated face against my shoulder blades. He probably wasn't used to being called pet names.

"Next time wake me up when you leave… I'm tired of waking up in bed alone…" He trailed off groggily before pressing himself closer to me.

I turned off the fire on the stove and turned to face Sora; I was surprised by his statement. That seemed like something he would never tell me fully awake. I smiled. Morning grogginess must pull out his honesty.

"You're warm…" he mumbled into my neck before kissing my collar bone. I small shiver ran through me at the contact.

I smirked. He was a little friendlier when he was only half awake as well.

I put the spatula down on the counter before wrapping my arms around him. Sora looked up at me, his bright baby-blues half glazed with sleep.

I pressed my forehead against his and noticed a small flash of desire sparkle in his eyes as I moved closer. I pressed my lips to his and was surprised by the hunger I was met with from Sora.

He bit my bottom lip gently and wrapped his arms around my neck. I opened my mouth to grant him entrance and I sighed at the feeling of tongue pressing against mine.

He pulled from me for air before diving back in, his hands moving to explore my exposed upper half. I shivered again at the feeling of his skin touching mine.

I decided I wanted to level the playing ground as I moved my kisses to his neck. I pushed him against the back of the bar and began to unbutton his shirt. Sora didn't seem to notice, as he was preoccupied with running his hands through my hair and gasping at my kisses.

I slid off his shirt and let my hands wander around his chest and back. As much as I wanted to grope and grab his ass, I restrained myself, knowing that that would probably scare him off.

I felt Sora shiver in my arms as I placed open-mouthed kisses on his neck.

"You know Riku, you should really see about putting your spare key somewhere less obvious… I mean, come on! It was under the door-…" Sora jumped at the sound of Cloud's voice and pushed me away.

"Mat…" Cloud finished and I could have shot him for the smug look he suddenly adopted on his face. "What did I say Riku? Didn't I tell you everything would work out?" Cloud said and looked to Sora who was now sitting at the other side of the bar, his face in his hands.

He must have finally woken up completely. I sighed and walked over to the other side of the bar. I placed a hand on Sora's shoulder and I frowned when he flinched.

"Cloud, can I talk to you?" I asked politely and ushered Cloud into the living room.

"So how does it feel to turn a straight man gay?" Cloud asked and I sighed.

"Was there something you needed, Cloud?" I asked.

"Well, I was coming to check on you. But it seems I was right again and all is swell," Cloud said with a smile.

I released a breath before looking at Cloud again, winding my fist back, and ramming it into Cloud's face. I couldn't describe the satisfaction I felt when I heard his body hit the floor.

"Ow…" Cloud said as he rolled around on my floor in pain.

"That, was for yelling at Sora and then punching him. And this…" I kicked him in the side. Cloud curled into a ball and gasped at the pain. "Is for coming into my house, uninvited, at the worst fucking moment ever!" I growled before I took Cloud's arm and pulled him into a standing position.

"Well… I guess I kinda deserved that… but you know it was for your own good," Cloud said.

"Thank you, Cloud, for at least trying to look out for me, but I'm a big-boy. I can handle my own shit… and now Sora's probably having a mental breakdown. What you so rudely walked in on was a long process… I was pulling him out of his shell, trying to get him to unwind but you scared him and now I'm probably back to square one! I had his shirt off Cloud! HIS SHIRT! It's probably gonna take months for that to happen again! Ugh, Cloud I'm not happy with you right now," I said angrily but kept my voice down.

"Look, I'm sorry! How was _I _supposed to know Sora was in your house?" Cloud argued and I sighed again before running a hand through my hair.

"That doesn't matter anymore… I'm going back in the kitchen. If there's nothing else, you can see your way out," I said and left the living room.

I walked into the kitchen and frowned when I saw Sora at the stove cooking the eggs and bacon.

That's not what I wanted. I wanted to cook for him…

Damn you Cloud!

I took the toast from the toaster and pulled the butter from the fridge. I buttered the toast and placed it on the bar before returning the butter to its place in the fridge.

I heard Sora turn off the fire and separate the food onto two plates before walking over to me.

"Bon appétit," he said softly and smiled before sitting at the bar and taking his fork to begin eating.

"Sora…" I trailed off and put my forehead on his shoulder. He shivered at the contact and I frowned. "Are you okay?" I asked.

He nodded and took a bite of a piece of toast. I sighed and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. "You don't really seem okay… are you upset with me?" I asked.

"No…" he said but he wouldn't look at me. I had a feeling he was afraid of what would have happened if Cloud hadn't walked in.

He probably thought I wouldn't have stopped. He probably thought I would have continued taking of his clothes and touching him, even though I was aware of the fact that he wasn't ready at all for a truly physical relationship.

I took his face gently and looked at him seriously. "Sora, you know I wouldn't have made you do anything you didn't want to do… I promise you I wasn't going to go any farther that what I had done. And I was going to stop if I began to feel to much, so please don't be upset," I said softly watching his face carefully for any sign of disbelief.

Sora sighed. "I know, I just… it wasn't you… I wasn't ready to be caught like that by someone else… it startled me, you know," he said and I nodded.

"I figured… I punched him in the face for you," I said with a small smile.

"You did? Why didn't you let me watch? I'll have to stop by his clinic later to see that face of his." Sora cackled maniacally and I felt relief wash over me.

He really was okay.

I pressed a kiss to his head before starting my meal.

Sora's POV

As much as I wanted to tell myself that I wasn't comfortable here, I couldn't deny how easy it was to relax… sometimes to the point of startling me all over again.

It was silly! I would allow myself to let go for a second and in that second, I would get myself into crazy situations…

Like almost fornicating in Riku's kitchen…

Then I would realize what I was doing and tense up again. It's hard to even remember when I began to string myself up so tight.

But that wasn't Riku's fault and I couldn't blame him for it… I smiled as I bit into my bacon.

When I think about what just happened… I realize that Riku totally just fought for my honor and won it back for me. I giggled.

I really needed to pay a visit to Cloud.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Riku asked with a grin.

I swallowed my bacon and kissed his nose. "Yes. I'm just fine. So… you think when you're done you could give me a tour of this house?" I asked.

Riku smiled and nodded.

"I just want to get a view of the whole picture before I deem it worthy of me and Kairi's relatively permanent presence..." I said with a huge blush on my face. I had slept on the idea and came to the conclusion that I _really _didn't want to move back with my mother, and if I stayed with Riku… I would have more control of my future decisions because my mother wouldn't always be there to judge and hound on me about them.

And it's not like that's a totally bad thing to have my mother do that… but it was hard for me to feel like an adult when she was around.

I watched as Riku dropped his fork onto his plate for a second and did a double take. His eyes were wider than saucers and his brows might as well have been touching his hairline.

I laughed at the face.

"Are you serious?" He asked.

I sighed and pressed my head to his shoulder as he did to me earlier. "Yes…" I said and I lifted my head when Riku began scarffing his food down with gusto.

When he was finished he swallowed his food and grabbed my hand. "Come on! I want to show you your new home!" Riku said with a beam.

God, I loved that look on him.

"B-but my bacon!" I whined as he pulled me away from the kitchen.

"So, there is a private bathroom to every bedroom in this house and there are four bedrooms and a guestroom. Two bedrooms are downstairs along with a laundry room and my office. The other bedrooms plus the guestroom are upstairs. I showed you the master bedroom and the one across it. The guestroom really isn't all that special but I thought maybe we could change it into a game room for the three of us! I imagined that you and I would sleep in the same room and Kairi would sleep in the room across from us so that is she ever needed us we would be really close. I also thought about putting a play structure in the backyard… that way when Zell comes over, Kairi and Zell can have more options to occupy themselves and also we can unleash them if they get too hopped up on sugar, it'll be great for birthday parties too… Oh! And a swing and hammock on the front porch as well!" I was amazed by how quickly Riku's mouth was moving to form the words coming out of his mouth.

I could tell he was excited about this... and though part of me wanted to object to all of the changes he wanted to make to accommodate us, another part of me was thrilled that he was willing to even think about doing those things.

I pulled Riku closer and pressed my lips to his to get him to stop talking. I yelped into the kiss when he wrapped his arms around me tightly and spun me around.

He pulled from me and beamed again, eyes sparkling. "I'm so flippin' happy right now, Sora… you have no idea how happy you just made me," Riku said softly.

"I'm glad…" I said in an even quieter voice. "I think we need to go tell my mother and Kairi the good news," I said and smiled at Riku.

Riku's smile widened even more as he pulled me towards the bedroom so that he and I could get ready for the day.

A/N: There we go, I feel like this was a little bit better than last chapter. Anyway, review and we will have more to come! I would have updated this yesterday but it was my birthday yesterday and I was really busy being with the fam! I can't believe I'm like a year away from no longer being a teenager… that's like… mind blowing!

**Dreamy Duskywing: **Awwww, I love you too! :D I'm glad you feel better when you read my stories! I try to spread the warm fuzzies as far as possible! YESS! AMANDA'S UNITE! Thanks for the review!

**Muffy: **Thanks, I'm really glad that you appreciate the pace we are going in… For once I don't have a story where the character get together within the first ten chapters. It feels more realistic this way, especially in Sora's situation, you know. Thanks so much for the review!

**Joxas: **Here you go! Hope you liked it!

**Mudkipluvr4ever: **Hehe! Yeah, I couldn't resist the accent thing. Japanese accents are actually really adorable! XD Thanks!

**Witch of Tragedies: **Hehe! I'm glad you liked it! :D

**Cookie53350: **D'awe! Thanks!

**CheshyCatGrin: **YESSS! Thanks!

**Cj Quinn: **Thanks for the review Cj! I hope you liked the new chapter!

**Animesaki: **Yes! I think so too! XD No Zemyx, Zex is married Naminé… for once I didn't write a story where every male character was homosexual… I feel like that is a MAJOR accomplishment for myself! :D hehe! Thanks for the review!

**Kaoru-chibimaster: **I'm glad you like it! The fluffiness will never cease! XD

**Angelkit: **Is she ever going to appear? THAT IS FOR ME TO KNOW AND YOU TO FIND OUT! XD Hehe! Thanks for the review!

**The Fuzzy Ficus: **Hehe! I'm glad you liked my cheese, I guess! I hope my sentences weren't too choppy here, let me know. Thanks for the review!

**Lightmaster: **YAY! I'm really happy you liked it! Thanks!

**TayTayXD: **Thanks! Yeah, Sora's a total newb at being gay! He's a sillyface! XD

**PearlsXofXsin: **Haha, so true! Thanks for the review!

**LonelyRedTears: **Yeah, they needed to get closer and what way to do it than to talk about the past and sleep in the same bed! XD Thanks for the review!

**Aki-chan26: **Hehe! I hope that the bit at the end would make him seem cuter. Thanks so much for the feedback and I hope you liked the update!

**Formidable Rain: **YEESSSSSSS! YOU ARE A SMART COOKIE! You're the first one to let me know that their on to my plot line! I think we're both geniuses! But we're going at a relatively lax pace so, it will be a while before the whole thing plays out. Thanks so much for your encouragement! To be honest, it wasn't always like that… if you have read my first story Fire, you will know that I have grown a LOT as a writer, though all of my stories are still relatively cheesy and corny, they've matured… they don't sound like a fourteen year old wrote them! And that's good!

**Miss Macabre Grey: **Hehe! Bask is the feeling of cheerfulness! I'm glad you like the story and yeah, don't spoil me… that's a disaster waiting to happen!

**Coffemug: **YEAH! THANKS! … and yeah, thanks for letting me know… though he was saying woody jokingly… if dudes don't really say it, I won't embarrass the poor character by making him say it! XD I don't hang around dudes long enough to catch on to that stuff! Hah! Anyway, that's awesome that you have people willing to work on this! I totally wouldn't mind seeing this through and if you need anything or have any questions about the writing, let me know and I'll be sure to clear everything up so it all goes well! GAH! This is so exciting!

**Sayonara7: **Okay good, because I love your reviews! :D Thanks so much for the feedback! I hope you liked the chapter!

**The Fallen Angel13: **Hehe! I hope this chapter was a little bit better!

**Aidddeennnn: **Thanks so much! HAHA! XD

**Cazzylove: **Hehe, he's adorable when sleepy, that Riku! Thanks Caz!

**Natural Chaos: **Yeah, after this chapter it's easy to see that the best outcome for all of them is to just move in with Riku. Thanks for the review!

**Mochiusagi: **Yes, that is very true! I hope you liked the chapter!

**RedWords: **Well, I always though cute and fluffy were synonymous… but either way, as long as you like it I don't really mind what it is! HEHE! Thanks for the review, buddy! :D

**Amanda-Nickel: **Thanks! :D

**Kurami-chan: **Yeah, he's adorable! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Lady Rabenschwarz: **Well, it was when he was a lot younger and less mature. Riku's better now! Thanks!

**naruXhinacrazy: **I'm glad you thought that was funny! I thought so too! I hope you liked the new chappie!

**BlueShringan26: **Well now we know that all is well and that Sora and Kairi are living with Riku YAY! Thanks so much for the feedback!

**DeViLaNgEl11: **Yay! I'm glad you're loving it! Haha! Riku is indeed having a bit of a "hard" time! Thanks Crystal!

**Mr. CoopCake: **It's okay, as long as you never do it again! Hehe! I'm just kidding, though your comment was missed, as long as you enjoy the chapter and have a good day, I'm happy! :D Hahah! Yeah, Japanese accents are sound adorable but they are actually really hard to say! Yeah! Thanks for the box of assorted goodies! And I promise you do NOT want to stalk my life… it's nothing special! XD Thanks for the review!

**MakingMelody: **YEY! I'm glad you love my stories! I don't do dark… well, not yet anyway! Thanks for reviewing!

**Guest1: **Thanks for the review, I didn't update because yesterday was my birthday but if it wasn't you would have had an update then!

**SaixIsMean103: **Thanks so much, yeah some of these pre-written chapters are really short but when I run out of those and I have to start writing again, I'll be sure to keep that in mind. I hope you liked the update!

**Yana5: **Thanks! I hope you liked the update! :D


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **If I had a dollar for every time I wished I owned every aspect of this fic, I would actually have enough money to buy it all!

Chapter 17

It's been a month since I started working at 81 Produce, and about three weeks since Kairi and I moved into Riku's house.

Living in Riku's house is awesome. Kairi loves it, I love it, Riku loves it, even my mom loves it… everyone is happy.

But working at this agency… I'm literally a slave to this company. The only thing that keeps me going is all the great people I've met and trained with.

The three people that helped me out during my audtion: Roxas, Rinoa, and Leon have become really good friends of mine since I started working at 81 Produce.

There's a running inside joke between us that Roxas and I are the same person only with two bodies. We do look pretty similar and it's really interesting that we have similar voice types so we sound relatively the same.

What's really great is when he and I say the same thing at the same time on accident. It's crazy how easily our minds sync together sometimes. One time we were doing this exercise to bring out each other's energy and it involved saying the first things that come to mind when given a word.

Roxas and I said the exact same thing at the exact same time for about seven turns. It was insane! It had Rinoa and I laughing on the floor for a good ten minutes.

I mean, he and I thought up the strangest things when given all these random words.

Rinoa would give us the word party and we'd say:

Throw the shoe through the window!

She'd say sandwich and we'd say:

Pickles and horseradish!

That was a good day.

Rinoa was a really great person and a great friend to have. She was always there when you needed her and she had the greatest knack for pulling out your craziest energy.

She and I could improvise for hours and still have an interesting story going on. She was so fun, and so pretty.

I find myself so surprised that I can't bring myself to hit on her, I don't want to. It's strange because she's fuckin' hot but I can't seem to like her or any woman for that matter like I used to.

I bet you that's Riku's doing.

Rinoa wouldn't have really gone for me anyway, though. She has, by far, the _biggest _crush on Vincent Valentine. And since I'm his only current protégé, she asks me to do all this crazy shit for her. She asked me once to ask Vincent all of these personal questions, and he actually thought _I _was interested in him.

_That _was embarrassing.

And that brings me to Leon. Out of all of the people in our group, I respected him the most as an artist. He easily takes on the quiet, brooding, lonely artist image… but he's more than that.

I asked him once why he was always so quiet and he looked at me.

He didn't say anything. He just looked right at me, through me really. And I understood something that I never would have gotten if he had told me with words.

Often, we speak just to fill the silence. A good percent of all the words we say have no real relevance to the situation at hand. So when one is quiet, it makes the words you say so much more meaningful and moving.

And that's why I think his acting is so inspiring. He'll open his mouth and take me away completely. Everything about the guy just amazed me. His talent had no bounds.

Despite all of these amazing people, I was getting very tired of Vincent Valentine. He was such a pain in the ass. He'll work me like a slave and then expect me to do _ten times better_ the next time. He doesn't listen to a word I say and he always feels the need to nag and complain constantly about how I suck and need to do better.

But then he'll go and give me all of these mediocre roles. How am I supposed to get any better if my repertoire consists of alien number five, ambient voice number fifty-six, the small dog that the main character holds that barks twice! I wanted to interact with other actors, I want to meet Roxas, and Rinoa, and Leon on the same level.

I'm not stupid… I know I'm just a newbie and I'm grateful to Vincent for getting me any job at all… but I've told him thousands of times.

I'm better than that, I can do more, all you need to do is believe in me enough to fight for me. I know Vincent plays a large role in casting voices for many different programs… I just wish he would think of me seriously when he's making those kinds of decisions.

It pisses me the fuck off so much!

On another note, I think Riku likes it when I bitch and moan to him about work. I think he feels like it gives him an excuse to offer me a massage… he just wants to touch me.

Pervert.

I chuckled at my thoughts. Riku… the guy was constantly growing on me. I loved the way his eyes would light up when Kairi would ask him for a bedtime story or when we could all sit at the table and eat dinner together.

I loved the way he grumbled every morning he would have to wake up early after working late that night. I'd always pretend I'm asleep just so I could wait for him to wake me up to tell me he was leaving.

I loved the way he runs his hands down my spine when he kisses me. It was just so thrilling to me and it made me a shivering mess sometimes.

I'm never going to tell him how much I like it, though, he'd probably get too enthused and then wear out the excitement of the feeling because he would do it at every opportunity just to feel me squirm.

After living with Riku for three weeks, I've begun to notice that Riku is not all that perfect. I used to think he was this perfect, neat, mature, older guy… but I've seen his office.

He is a _slob_! That room is a mess! And he never cleans his hair off the face bowl when he's done shaving… I'm a dude, I have to shave my face too but really, I _hate _having a dirty face bowl.

And there are times when he can be _so _immature. He will fight with me over the _stupidest _shit! He kept picking a fight with me over a beer he had in the fridge… evidently he was saving it for when he got home and was so angry when he came home to no ice-cold beer to drink. I kept telling him that he needs to tell me when he's saving stuff but it's like he expects me to read his mind or something.

Sometimes it gets to the point where I wonder if I'm raising two five-year-olds. Riku is not above giving you the silent treatment, he will whine if you make him do things he doesn't want to do when he's tired, and he'll find all these things to annoy you with when you're not in the mood. He also thinks just because we are partners, he can always invade my space. I was sitting on the sofa, reading a book for work and he just crawled right on top of me… it was as if he thought I would like it if a large, fully-grown man decided it was okay to situate himself on top of me… he was bat-shit crazy!

But in spite of all of that, I can't bring myself to harbor any ill feelings towards him. At the end of the day I still want to feel his chest against my back when we go to bed, I still want him to wake me up every morning before he leaves so I can kiss him goodbye. I still want him to be a father to Kairi and spoil her rotten when I'm not around.

It was all so confusing… I get a build up of all of these feelings and it feels a lot like love…

But I haven't had _one _indecent thought about him… not once. In fact, I shudder a little when I even think about thinking about it.

It's not a shudder of disgust at the thought of Riku… it's more disgust in myself. I can't imagine how it works and I'm too chicken to try and find out.

And I _sure as hell _will not ask Riku about it. That would be the end of the end. I would die…

When I come to him for the first time… I want him to see my passion, my love, my intense excitement at the idea of taking him away, over the edge of oblivion… I want him to see it raw and exposed in my eyes… I don't want him to see me, scared and confused and completely out of my mind nervous.

It was a small hurdle I had to get over before I approach Riku about our sexual relationship.

I sighed and opened the door to the house. It was a particularly long day for me and I really just wanted to snuggle with Kairi for a bit before heading to sleep.

"Daddy!" I looked over to the sofa in the living room to see Kairi and my mother sitting and watching the television.

"Hey, Kairi-cat! Hey, Mom," I said and smiled at her before scooping up Kairi who had run over to me when I had finally locked the front door.

"Guess what, Daddy? I read TWO books today when I got home!" Kairi exclaimed happily.

I beamed at her. "You did?" I asked in that overly excited voice that always got Kairi going.

"Yeah! The first one was about a doggie that lost his bone. It was in his doggie food bowl the whole time! And then the second one was about a rainbow fish with all of these really pretty, shiny fish scales. She was the prettiest fish in the sea!" She rambled on happily and I smiled at her before planting a kiss on her forehead.

"I bet if you were a fish, you would be prettier than her," I said and sat next to my mother on the sofa.

"Really? Would I be a rainbow fish too?" She asked.

I thought for a second, humming in contemplation. "No, you wouldn't need shiny rainbow scales to out shine her, you would just be prettier naturally," I said and Kairi actually blushed.

"You really think so?" She asked.

"I know so, baby, you are the most beautiful girl slash fish in the whole wide world. Otou-san would agree with me too on this," I said.

Kairi beamed at me. "I love you, Daddy," she said.

I kissed her again and hugged her a little closer. "What are we watching?" I asked.

"Some movie with talking dogs…" My mother said before standing. "I guess since you're here, I can head home."

"Well, I'm not going to kick you out if you want to stay," I said.

"No, I'm going home. Do you need anything before I go?" My mother asked and I shook my head.

"Drive safe, okay?" I said and stood to kiss Mom on the cheek.

"Bye Granma!" Kairi said and planted a kiss on my mother's other cheek.

When the front door closed I sat back down on the sofa and sighed. "I'm tired," I said and twisted Kairi around as if to use her as a pillow.

"Get offa me!" Kairi giggled and pushed at my head that was resting on her tummy.

"Did my pillow just talk?" I asked the air and looked at Kairi as if she were just a fluffy cushion.

"I'm not a pillow!" She cried and I frowned.

"I must be too tired! I just imagined that my pillow could talk to me!" I said and laid back over Kairi and began to snore loudly.

"Daddy! I'm not a pillow! Get off, you tub of lard!" she yelled and I sat back up to stare at her with a surprised expression.

"You did _not _just call me a tub of lard!" I said mocking anger.

"Tubby!" Kairi laughed and pointed at me.

I gasped. "Where are you getting this from? I'm going to stop sending you to school! It's a bad influence on you!" I cried in fake misery.

"Nooo!" Kairi cried with a laugh.

I snuggled my face in my daughter's tummy before sitting back up and smiling down at her. "I love, love, love, love, love you!" I said.

"I love me too!" Kairi said with a kiddish smirk.

I chuckled and sighed. "You, my child, are a trip," I said.

"When is Otou-san coming home?" Kairi asked and I sighed again.

"That's a good question, smiley-Kairi. He was supposed to be home already. Maybe something happened at the hospital… sickness can happen at any time of the day, you know. Remember what happened with you?" I reminded and Kairi nodded.

"I want to welcome him back when he gets here," Kairi said.

"Well, hopefully it won't be too much longer," I replied.

It was almost midnight when Riku came home. I stood from my place on the couch and moved to the door.

Riku opened the door and gave me a small smile. "Hey there," He said.

I smiled. "Was everything okay at the hospital?" I asked.

"Yeah, just a sudden emergency…" He said and moved to drop his stuff off in his office.

"Kairi really wanted to greet you when you got back, but she feel asleep," I said with a smile.

I frowned when Riku froze for a second before letting out a breathless laugh. "That's sweet…" He said and moved past me to go upstairs.

There was something about him that was completely off. He didn't even seem to walk right… at least not like he usually does. I followed him into our bedroom and watched as he slowly divested himself of his coat and dress shirt. I handed him a T-shirt and looked up at him. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired," he replied before putting on the shirt I had handed him and I watched him move to leave the room.

I took his arm gently. "Where are you going? The bed's over here," I said with a small smile.

"I'm just going to check on Kairi for a second," he said and I frowned.

"I put her to bed about an hour ago. She's fine, probably fast asleep," I said and sent him a puzzled look.

He gently pulled his arm from my hold and moved across the hall to Kairi's room.

I stood in the doorway and watched as he knelt down next to her bed. I noticed his shoulders relax as he ran a hand through the hair that was swept over Kairi's sleeping face.

Kairi stirred before opening her eyes. "'Tou-san?" She asked groggily.

I watched Riku release a sigh before he spoke. "Yeah, Ri-chan… it's Otou-san," he said softly.

"I missed you…" She said, her voice starting to drift off a little.

"Oh Ri-chan, hontou ni aishiteru… hontou…" He spoke in words I couldn't understand.

"W-why are you crying, 'Tou-san?" She asked and I frowned.

He was crying? I moved a little closer, but stopped when Riku chuckled.

"I'm okay Kairi. I'm just tired," he said.

"Daddy, take care of 'Tou-san and make sure he's okay…" Kairi said before falling back to sleep.

Riku stood and walked back into our bedroom without a word. I followed him once more and closed the door behind me. "Riku, what was that? Are you sure you're okay?" I asked and moved over to him. I wrapped my arms around him gently and held him close.

I had to ignore the sting I felt in my chest when he pushed me away. "I'm fine. Leave it alone, Sora..." He said and I frowned for a third time.

"Does this have to do with why you got home so late? Did something happen?" I asked again and sat next to Riku on the bed.

"Sora…" Riku's voice was short.

"Well, I'm sorry, babe, but I'm worried about you. You're acting really weird. I just want you to be alright…" I said and pressed my lips to his shoulder.

It was then that those shoulders started to shake. They began with small, very controlled shudders… but when I pulled Riku into an embrace those shudders turned to heavy convulsions as he sobbed into my chest.

For a second I was very unsure of what to do. This had never happened before. The only time I had seen Riku cry was because I had made him laugh too hard.

"Tell me what happened, babe," I said softly and ran my hand up and down his back to get him to calm down. It worked with Kairi, I figured it might work on Riku.

Riku took a deep breath before starting, "I c-couldn't s-save her… the little girl w-was only three… Three! She h-hadn't even lived a half a decade in this world a-and I couldn't… sh-she swallowed something with poison in it… I-I tried e-everything… I even pumped her stomach b-but it wasn't e-enough… and when I moved to resuscitate her, I-I…" Riku paused and shuddered violently in my arms.

"What?" I whispered softly in his ear before kissing away a tear on his face.

"I-I felt h-her life force leave her b-body… i-it flew right through m-me and I knew that I wouldn't be able to bring her b-back… I've done stuff like that before… and whenever the resuscitation was successful… it's because I could a-always feel s-something fighting… something straining with all its m-might to break the s-surface… I felt that g-girl's spirit sink before drifting away… b-but I c-couldn't let her go. I worked on her and worked on her for ten minutes… Zexion had to pull me from the table… I-I… _She just looked so much like Kairi!"_ Riku suddenly broke down into hysterical sobs and it hit me how hard it must have been for him to let that little girl die.

I pulled him closer and cringed. I was not going to cry… I needed to be strong for Riku. Riku gripped the back of my night shirt even tighter as misery and hysteria took its course through his body.

I bit my lip as I ran my hands gently through Riku's hair in an attempt to calm him. I let two tears fall down my face before I sucked up my emotions and got Riku's attention.

"Riku… you can't let this eat you up inside. Kairi is fine, you just saw her sleeping peacefully in her bedroom. And about the little girl… Sometimes you just… you just can't prevent those kinds of events from happening… You are a _fantastic _doctor, babe… but you can't save everyone. No one can do that… if someone could, they would probably be worshipped like a higher being… but you're human Riku, that little girl was human… we're fragile and we die… that's just how it goes… and I bet you, that girl died knowing she had someone fighting tooth and nail to save her… and if I were in that position… I think knowing something like that just before the end would give me enough courage to let go without any regrets. And if that girl was anything like our Kairi, she would be so grateful to have met someone like you before she passed… You have to see that Riku, otherwise you'll be haunted by your own imagination for the rest of your life… and I know you are stronger than that!" I said looking Riku dead in the eyes.

His watery aquamarines quivered for a second before settling on my face. "Thank y-you," he said softly before giving me a very small smile and pressing his face to my chest. I scooted myself against the backboard of the bed before guiding Riku to the spot next to me.

Riku laid his head in my lap and I continued to run my hands through his hair. When I felt his body begin to relax, I started to hum a soft tune.

When he was finally asleep I pulled my phone from the nightstand and dialed Cloud's number.

"Sora? Do you have any idea what time it is?" Cloud asked in a groggy voice.

"Yes… I do… but I couldn't wait… I need your advice." I said.

"What?" he asked.

"Well… Riku came home late… and he seemed really off… it turns out, he couldn't save a three-year-old who had swallowed some poison on accident." I said.

There was silence on the other line for a second before Cloud spoke again. "He must have been pretty broken up about that…"

"I think what put him into a state of hysteria was the fact that the girl apparently looked a lot like Kairi." I said softly and pushed Riku's hair behind his ear.

"How is he?" Cloud asked.

"Well… I talked to him a little and he seemed less shaken up… but I'm still worried about him. He cried himself to sleep…" I said.

"In this situation Sora… it's just important to make sure he isn't brooding… he's a professional, he knows how to bounce back… but even I sometimes find myself lost when I can't pull myself out of a funk." Cloud said.

"I just don't think he's ready to go back to work tomorrow…" I said.

"I would call Zexion and ask him to cover for Riku… I don't think he's ready to go back to work either." Cloud said.

"I kind of thought of something but I wanted to run it by you first…" I trailed off.

"What was it?"

"Well… I thought maybe… I could call in sick for both Riku and Kairi and let them spend a whole day together… you know, just the two of them. I think what has got him so upset is the fact that part of him thought he was letting Kairi die and not another little girl, you know… so I figured having him spend the day with her might remind him that Kairi is still very much with him and loves him very much… I think that would be something that will keep him from confining himself in his misery… do you think that's a good idea?" I asked.

There was another silence and part of me just wanted to take back everything I said and hang up to save myself the embarrassment, but then Cloud's voice sounded through the phone.

"Sora, that's a really great idea. He would love that." I smiled and sighed in relief.

"You think so?" I asked.

"Yeah, I know so. I'm really glad you're being serious with Riku's feelings. I was a little worried about how your relationship was going to work but… from the sounds of it, you two are doing just fine." Cloud said and I smiled.

"Thanks Cloud." I said and he said his goodbyes before hanging up.

I grabbed Riku's phone from the nightstand and searched through his contacts for his brother's number. I dialed the number in my phone and waited for a response.

"Uchida speaking." A voice said from the other line.

He sounded just like Riku.

I snapped out of my reverie and spoke. "Sorry, I got distracted for a second… you sounded just like your brother." I said.

"Who is this?" Zexion asked and I mentally smacked myself.

"I'm sorry! We haven't met officially but I'm Sora Smith… Riku's boyfriend." I said with a blush.

"Is Riku okay?" I paused at the change in his brother's voice. He suddenly sounded so concerned.

"Yeah… well, he's okay… but I just don't think it would be wise to let him go to work today… that's why I called… I was going to beg you to take over for Riku just for today… I just… I'm just worried about him." I said.

"I wasn't going to let him work today either." Zexion said and I sighed in relief.

"Thank you for understanding. I think this day off will be good for him…" I spoke softly.

"Take care of him."

I froze at the words. They were so simple coming though the phone… but they seemed so heavy with meaning, I was almost unsure of what to say.

I figured it out quickly. "I will." I finished and we ended the phone call.

With a sigh I placed the phones on the nightstand and with one last look at Riku's sleeping face, I drifted off, back still against the headboard.

A/N: As you can see, I moved the story along just a bit! I hope you liked it and review because I love you! XD

**Guest 1: **Is this actually Formidable Rain? You seem to be responding to the reply I sent her/him (I can never tell the gender XD) so I hope I'm right! Anyway, thanks for the review!

**Cazzylove: **Thanks Caz! Where is over here? Just curious, cuz the way you wrote it made it seem as if you live on the other side of the world… which would be awesome! But if not that's awesome too as long as I get to have your love, peace, and chocolate! XD

**Mochiusagi: **You called Cloud a wanker! HAHA! Yeah, when I wrote it, I had a perfect picture of excited Riku in my mind and I almost cringed because it was so adorable! Thanks for the review!

**Kurami-chan: **Yeah, Riku loves his family! XD HAHA! It seems that for once no one is being sympathetic to Cloud! It's quite funny! And thanks for the review!

**Kaoru-chibimaster: **Thanks for the belated birthday wish! Hehe! I'm glad you loved the chapter! Thanks again, Kaoru!

**Chihiroxhaku4eva: **Thanks, and yes Kairi will be very happy!

**Muffy: **Thank you! D'awe! I think it's really great when people are like "You're really only 19? Wow!" It makes me feel like I've actually accomplished something in my life! XD I'm glad you liked the chapter and your reviews make me smile!

**Queen of the GemDragons: **Thanks, friend! I'm glad you appreciate all the things that you noticed… character development has been really hard for me and I've been trying really hard with this story to get it all to work. In my other stories I've realized that most of my characters are static and only the events that are thrusted upon them cause them to act differently… but even then, after a while they go right back to the person I first created them as… if that makes any sense… here, Sora finally has a long term change that happened over a relatively long period of time… and he still has some work to do! :D

**RedWords: **Thanks! When I first read your review I though you had written "I just hate Cloud…" I was like WHOA STRONG WORDS! And then I re-read it and was like PHEW! IT'S ALL GOOD, EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT I CAN'T READ! XD I hope you liked the update!

**Mudkipluvr4ever: **Yay! Hahah! Everyone is saying that Cloud deserved it! I find this amusing because I was so ready for the Cloud enthusiasts to attack me! XD Thanks for the Birthday wishes and the review!

**Alice Pettingill: **Thanks! And by the way… IT IS YOU WHO ROCKS!

**Guest 2: **Thank you very much, friend!

**Noel-Fire: **Thank you much! Haha! I really want to stuff Kairi in my purse… no I just want her to be real… and my child! Haha XD! Again, thanks for the review!

**MakingMelody: **THANK YOU!

**Aki-chan26: **Yeah! I think so too! I love fatherly Riku! And someone who actually feels bad for Cloud! You're like the only one! XD But then again, you have Cloud as your pic so it's not really all that surprising! I love Cloud too! :D Thank you!

**DeViLaNgEl11: **Hahah! Yeah, you and a lot of others are rather upset about Cloud's interruption! XD Thanks!

**Dragonrose21: **Thanks! I'm glad you love the story… I try! :D

**Guest 3: **Yay! Captivating is a very nice word! I like it! :D Thanks for the review!

**Dreamy Duskywing: **There's an easy way to login? Hehe! I loved the bacon line! I think I liked it because that's exactly what I would say! XD Turns out I'm not the only one! AMANDAS UNITE ONCE MORE! Yeah, I wanted to show a more cute side of Riku that we haven't really see much of. Just like in this chapter I wanted you guys to see Riku at his weaker moments. I hope I didn't disappoint! Thanks for the birthday wishes and the review!

**Anna Crosszeria: **Hehe! Thank you! * heart eyes *

**LonelyRedTears: **YESSS! More people should be mourning about the loss of bacon! Thanks so much for the review!

**Guest 4: **Yay! I hope you liked the chapter!

**Mikepd: **HEHE! It's all coming very soon! :D Thanks for the review!

**Lady Rabenschwarz: **Thanks! I hope you like this chapter too!

**Yana5: **Yeah, I really love Riku when he goes into fatherly mode!

**Natural Chaos: **Thanks for the birthday wish! Don't beat the cable guy too much! Sometimes it's not even his fault! Believe me, I've had so many internet problems… I would know… XD Thanks the review, my friend!

**TayTayXD: **YAY! I was hoping it would be one of the cutest ones! It gave me warm fuzzies when I wrote it! GASP! NEVER LIKE CLOUD! BLASPHEMY! XD Hehe! Thanks for the review!

**SaixIsMean103: **Yeah! I like when people have little voices in the back of their heads squealing for my updates! It makes me feel like I'm not the only one who has voices in my head! HAHA! Just kidding! But I am glad that you are happy to read my work! YES! AMANDAS UNITE!

**YaOiPrInCeSs16: **Yes! Thanks so much and I hope that this update balanced out the fluff-o-meter! HEHE!

**Cj Quinn: **Do you know Japanese? I really do one day want to be Japanese literate… that would be so cool! However, I CAN spot the word KAWAII in any form! And I think the end of the sentence says Kudasai… but I cannot read Kanji of any form! XD Anyway, thanks for the review!

**Angelkit: **Yeah! Yay for Riku cuteness! Thanks for the review!

**Lightmaster: **Haha! It's because Cloud and Riku have been friend for a very long time, he feels entitled to visit him at any time of the day when he pleases! XD Thanks for the review!

**Animesaki: **Sorry about the lack of Zemyx… D: Ah! Finally! You are the second person out of the twenty-some reviews that I have replied to that actually feel bad for Cloud. XD Thanks for the review!

**Nami15: **YESSS! Something I thing all of us here can appreciate! Thanks for the review!

**Kingdomhearstluvr505: **Yay! I love love! Thanks so much for liking the story and getting engaged with the characters!

**MrCoopCake: **Aww! I hope you are better now! Night sweats aren't fun at all and so is no sleep! I'm one of those people who literally cannot function on less than five hours of sleep! It's terrible! And YESSS! I really DO want to work at a Japanese Restaurant… but they usually only like to hire Asian peeps… and I am not Asian! (it's a travesty! DX) HAHA! But we can skip the communist boss… well actually as long as he/she is nice, I can deal. :D

**CheshyCatGrin: **Well I think that is a very good thing… though I always love hearing what you have to say! :D Thanks for the review! I hope you having fun on the vacation with the BF and the daughter! Hina-chan told me where you were… by the way!

**Naruxhinacrazy: **Well thank you for enjoying the story and being so cooperative with Cheshy-chan! I hope you liked the update and I'm glad I decided to check my email before I updated! I almost missed your review! D:

**Guest 5: **Thank ya! I'm glad!


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **Life isn't fair like that…

Chapter 18

I woke up early that next morning due to the ache in my back. I looked down to see that Riku was still sleeping peacefully next to me. His head had fallen off of my lap but his forehead was pressed against the side of my thigh. I ran a hand through his silver locks before getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom.

I took a shower, brushed my teeth, and put on my clothes before taking my phone again and dialing Kairi's school number.

"Wonderland Elementary," the female voice said and I began.

"Hi, this is Sora Smith. I'm Kairi's father… she's in kindergarten here… I was just calling to tell you that she won't be coming into school today. She'll be back tomorrow though," I said.

"Alright, I'll be sure to let her classroom teacher know," the lady said and I sighed.

"Thank you," I finished and hung up.

I placed my phone on the small desk by the wall and moved over to my boyfriend. I smirked and crawled over him before pressing small kisses up his neck. Riku stirred and I pressed my lips to his. After maybe ten seconds I heard Riku hum in approval before wrapping his arms around me and turning us over.

I pulled away from him and looked up at his face hovering over mine. "Good morning," I said.

"Do me a favor and wake me up like that more often," Riku said and I chuckled.

Riku smiled down at me but froze suddenly. I quickly looked over to the clock and cussed. "I was supposed to be at work twenty minutes ago!" He was about to launch into action when I took his arms.

"Riku… I called Zexion. He's covering for you today…" I said.

"What? Why!" Riku looked at me with an angry look.

"Riku…" I paused. "As much as you seem fine right now… I can see in your eyes that you're still torn up about yesterday," I said.

"Sora, you shouldn't have done that. I'm a doctor, it's my responsibility to recover quickly so that I can resume working," He gritted out.

"Riku, that's exactly why I called Zexion. You won't recover quickly if you resume working today. You just need to take some personal time… no one is gonna blame you for it," I said calmly and moved in to press a kiss to his cheek.

I had to ignore a sting again when he pushed me away.

"Sora, you forget that I'm five years older than you are. I'm a grown-man and just because we have a relationship doesn't mean you can make decisions for me!" Riku snapped angrily and I bit my lip.

That really hurt actually. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

"Look, I called Kairi's school and told them she wasn't coming. I woke you up because I was gonna tell you that you both had a whole day to spend together… just the two of you. I thought maybe it would make you feel a little better. Kairi always makes me feel better and since I thought…" I stopped and stood with another sigh. "It was stupid… if you don't want to hang with her, I haven't told her… so you can just make sure she get's ready for school and drive her there before you head to work. I have to go…" I said and walked out of the room.

I bit my lip harder and shook my head and try and remove the hurt that was gripping my heart so tightly. I was only trying to help.

I grabbed my keys and I headed out to my car.

"Sora, wait!" I jumped at the sound of Riku's voice. I turned around to see him standing behind me, slightly winded from running to catch up to me.

"I'm going to be late to work, Riku…" I reminded calmly.

"Baby, I'm sorry, I was being a dick… you're right… I'm not okay… I'm not myself…" He said quietly and I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Just take the day off with Kairi… play hookie together. It'll be good for the both of you. She doesn't get to spend a lot of time with her Otou-san," I said and was about to open my car door when I felt Riku's arm reach around my waist and pull me back around to face him.

He crashed his lips to mine and I yelped at the desperation behind the kiss. I returned the kiss hungrily. It made me feel a bit better to have him desperately cling to my affections after he so rudely pushed me away. I gasped when he sucked on my tongue before pressing his leg gently against my groin. I bit his lip and he grunted before his hand reached down to grab my ass.

I yelped into the kiss and felt my face heat up exponentially. Riku pulled away from me and smiled. "God, I can't tell you how long I've wanted to do that…"

I panted for a second before letting out a breathy chuckle. "I figured it was going to happen eventually," I said.

"Sora…" he said softly and pressed his face into my neck. I smiled and wrapped my arms tighter around him.

He moved his lips to my ear and whispered, "I love you…" before pulling from me and heading back to the house.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I love you too." I said loud enough for him to hear me.

I opened my eyes to see Riku standing in the doorway with a dumbstruck look on his face.

His face was beet red.

I smiled. "Have fun with Kairi. Give her a kiss for me!" I said before getting into the car and driving to work.

-Hello, Doctor-

I checked in with Selphie and she told me that Vincent was waiting for me on the second floor.

I smiled and thanked her before taking the stairs to the second floor. The second floor was where I trained with other actors. There were also studio rooms for workshops and tours whenever people from other places and agencies came to visit.

I opened the door to the large training room and Roxas ran over to me. "Sora! You're getting your big break! I'm so jealous! I had to wait a whole year for something like this to happen!" Roxas said and pulled me into an excited hug.

"Wait, hold on! What's happening?" I asked.

"You kept bitching and moaning about never being able to reach your full potential so I got you a role… and a damn good one so don't fuck this up," Vincent said looking at a picture on the wall.

I smiled. "What? Really? What kind of role is it?" I asked with a huge smile.

"Sora, you and I get to act together! You and I are the main characters of the first ever yaoi anime to ever be serialized in English in America! Can you believe that! You and I, oh! And Leon too are going to be making history!" Roxas said.

"What's a yaoi anime?" I asked, my voice still full of excitement.

"It's a Japanese homosexual romance! Before you freak out! Let me tell you, they are just what you would want for your debut! They are really challenging for actors and really, really fun to do! They have both sad and happy moments so producers and directors can hear your voice in both of those settings. It's a perfect way to get people to notice you as a voice actor. And since this is the first time they're doing an English dub of an anime, everyone is going to have their eyes on us! It's awesome!" Roxas said.

"Wait… how do you know so much about doing yaoi anime if they've never done it?" I asked.

"They've never done an anime, but they've done tons of yaoi voice recordings for audio CD's that come with the translated manga. I've done a lot of those. I was apprehensive at first too but after doing one, you get attached to them. They're such a great way to unwind and learn to connect with other actors on a deeper level. Don't worry, I'll be there to guide you the whole way," Roxas said and I nodded.

To be honest, I was really nervous about his. What exactly did a yaoi anime entail?

I guess I would find out soon.

I couldn't fuck this up… I'm not stupid… I know Vincent must have really put his ass on the line to get the producers and directors to agree to take on a rookie voice actor like me. Though I doubt it will happen, if I grow to dislike this role. I still have to give it my best and not show that I dislike it. If I didn't, not only could it ruin my debut, but it could also ruin Valentine's reputation for training and mentoring great actors.

After complaining for a whole month… basically since the day I started… I could NOT fuck this up.

Who knows, I might even learn to love it like Roxas did.

I looked over to Vincent who was still looking at the picture on the wall. He wouldn't say it, but I knew he was worried.

I walked over to him. "Hey, Vincent…" I started.

He looked at me with a stern face.

"I won't let you down… when this is over… you'll be proud of me." I said and looked him in the eyes.

"I know you won't…" he said and I smiled.

"You think I'm a good actor…" I gushed and nudged him with a goofy smile on my face.

Vincent pushed me away and walked out of the room. "Give him the details," Valentine said to Roxas as he left.

I turned to my doppelganger with a smile. "Hit me with the deets!" I said with a giggle.

Roxas smiled. "So the anime is called 'Coincidence Lover' it's about Satoshi and his friend Eiji and how they find and fall in love. It's like your basic cheesy romance but better because it's yaoi and with yaoi nothing is ever average or normal! You play Satoshi and I play Eiji. You're a chef and I'm a kindergarten teacher. You're also a single father, would you look at that!" Roxas chuckled.

My head was spinning. "Slow down… something tells me there are going to be a lot of details," I said.

"You know what? Why don't I let you borrow the manga series? It will let you get the hang of the other characters and the story. It'll also give you more insight on your own character. You should read the manga and fall in love with your role, and get to like your love interest a little. Which is sometimes hard at first," Roxas said.

I nodded. "Sure."

"It's got four volumes. The first two are in your character's perspective, and the other two are in my character's. This anime is going to have two seasons. Yours is first, followed by mine," Roxas explained.

"Do we know the full cast yet?" I asked.

"Well not really, there are going to be actors from another agency as well. I've always liked when that happens. It's nice to act with people you haven't really met yet. There's the whole element of surprise thing," Roxas said and I nodded.

Roxas pulled me out of the room and down the hall to the lounge. He grabbed his bag and pulled out two books. "I'll give you these for now. When you're finished just give them back and I'll give you the last two," he said and I smiled.

I took the books from him and looked at the cover of the first volume. I inwardly sighed with relief with the cover was innocent. It was simply two guys sitting on a sofa. One was reading a book with a little girl sleeping in his lap while the other was leaned against him with a little boy on his lap looking at the little girl with a blush on his face.

It was really cute actually. I looked to the other volume and found that it was also pretty much innocent. The little girl and boy were playing with blocks on the floor and the two guys were still on the couch. Only this time, the bigger guy has the smaller guy sprawled across his lap with an amused look on his face. The smaller guy had a blush and looked surprised by his position in the other guy's lap.

I could handle this!

"Thanks Roxas. I'll be sure to read them thoroughly!" I said and moved to go back to the training room when I bumped into someone. "Oh! Sorry!" I said and looked up to see Leon.

"Be careful," he said and gently pulled me to the side so that he could pass.

"Oh! Leon..." I said and he turned to look at me.

I smiled at him. "I'm really glad that I get to work with you on my first big role. I'll be sure to do better than my best," I said. It wasn't me being overconfident. It was just me letting him know that I was really serious about doing right by this role.

Leon nodded before moving to get a drink from the vending machine.

I left the lounge and decided I would see if Vincent needed me to do anything before I headed back to the training room.

-Hello, Doctor-

I was really excited to get home and tell everyone the big news! When I opened the door and was surprised to find that Kairi was waiting by the door.

"Daddy! Guess what? I didn't go to school today! I got to play with Riku all day!" Kairi babbled happily and I knelt down to give her a kiss.

"What did you guys do?" I asked and stood. I moved over to the couch and sat. Kairi hopped onto my lap and continued to speak.

"Riku and I made breakfast together and then we went to the aquarium! We got to pet a dolphin! It was so slippery! Then went to the park and Riku and I took pictures and then we went and got lunch at a restaurant and I got to eat off the grown-up menu again!" Kairi paused to take a deep breath.

"Did you finish all your food or did you have to take it home?" I asked.

"Riku and I ate it together! It's all gone!" Kairi giggled.

"Did you guys do anything else?" I asked.

"We went and looked for backyard play structures on the Internet," Kairi said.

"Wow, sounds like you had a fun-filled day! Where's Otou-san?" I asked.

"Right here," I jumped when I heard the voice right behind my ear. I turned to see Riku laugh at me. "How are you?" he asked and pressed a kiss to my temple.

"I'm great actually. How about you?" I asked and tilted my head back to see him.

Riku put his hands on either side of my face and looked down at me. "I'm much better, Sora… really…" he said and smiled at me.

"I'm glad," I said softly and closed my eyes when I felt Riku lean in closer to kiss me. I smiled into the kiss, I had never kissed anyone upside down like this before.

I pulled away from Riku and laughed when I heard Kairi making kissy noises.

"Daddy and 'Tou-san sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love-"

"Alright, alright, goober! We all know how the song goes!" I said and tickled her a bit.

"Otou-san! We should show Daddy the pictures we took!" Kairi said and I smiled.

"Before you guys do that I have to tell you something," I said.

"What is it?" Riku asked and Kairi looked at me with her undivided attention.

"I got a real role guys… I don't know if it's a paid gig… but it's a real role, a main character! This is my big break! If I can do this well, I'll be sure to get other job offers!" I said with a beam.

Riku wrapped his arms around my tightly, trapping Kairi between us. "Baby, I'm so proud of you! You're going to be perfect, I know you will!" Riku said happily and Kairi piped in.

"Hey! Is Daddy going to be on TV?" she asked pushing off Riku.

"Yeah, Kairi! That's exactly what it means! Isn't that great?" Riku asked with a huge smile on his face.

"Yay! I can't wait to tell Zell! This is so cool!" Kairi said and I stood and picked her up.

"Well, Kairi… it's your bedtime and the sooner you go to sleep, the sooner you get to tell Zell about my big break," I said and Kairi smiled.

"Okay! But I want you to tell me about your role!" Kairi said.

"I wish I could Kairi-cat, but I don't really know all of the details yet. But as soon as I know them I'll tell you," I said.

Kairi nodded and I laid her down in her bed. "Goodnight my sweet little green-pea!" I said and kissed her nose.

"I hate peas!" she said with a grimace.

I laughed. "I love 'em. Sometimes when I look at you I just wanna stick you in a big pot so that I can cook you and eat you!" I said.

"No you don't!" Kairi laughed.

"Yes he does, Ri-chan… But don't worry because your father is a green bean," Riku said from behind me and I frowned.

"I hate green beans…" I said dryly.

Riku came pulled me against him and whispered in my ear. "I love 'em, and peas too… I might just put you both in a pot," Riku said and kissed my cheek before moving over to Kairi. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and patted her head. "Thank you, Kairi, for giving me such a wonderful day," he said.

"Aishiteru, Otou-san…" Kairi said and Riku looked shocked for a second before he smiled fondly at her and kissed her head again.

"I love you too, Kairi," he said before turning to me and taking my hand.

We moved to our bedroom and he pulled me into a hug. "I'm so happy that you had a good day," Riku said with a contented sigh.

"I'm glad you had a fun time with Kairi." I smiled.

Riku suddenly nuzzles my neck with his nose. "I am so fucking lucky to have a kind, caring, sweet, smokin' hot, loving boyfriend to take care of me!" He said and placed a kiss for every adjective he used to describe me upon my neck.

I chuckled before we fell onto the bed together. "I'm lucky to have a strong, intelligent…" I paused. "Sorry, but sometimes you're just a pain in the ass," I said with a snort and Riku's jaw dropped.

"After all the nice things I said about you!" Riku yelped.

"It seems I take more pride in telling the truth than you do…" I said with a giggle that escalated into laughter when Riku climbed over me and attacked me with tickles and pinches.

"Just wait till I become a literal pain in your ass, you won't joke after that…" Riku mumbled.

What was that supposed to mean?

I ignored him and pressed a kiss to his lips before settling against him and heading to sleep.

A/N: Another chapter for my loving fans! For some reason, I can't help but really like this chapter. It's just so cute that I even surprise myself! XD THEY SAID I LOVE YOUS! YAY! Anyway, I hope you liked it!

**Joxas: **Gotta wait, it will all come to fruition eventually! XD

**Cazzylove: **Wooo! U.K.! I want to go there at some point in my life! Thanks for the review! :D

**VeePasta: **WOW BIG REVIEW! :D :D :D I enjoyed reading it! And yes, I have had that conversation with some of my friends just to keep myself from getting bored! XD Thanks for the feedback!

**Muffy: **Lucky for you he got his lucky break now! Thanks so much!

**Kaoru-chibimaster: **Hahah! Yeah, I had a kid call me a tub of lard once… I took away his Popsicle as revenge! HAHAH! But that was LONG ago! XD Thanks for the review!

**Formidable Rain: **It's all good because I still knew it was you! I hope this chapter was as good as the other one. Yeah, I put enough context clues because I don't actually know Japanese… Thanks for the review!

**Yana5: **He's okay as we can all see!

**INessie: **Yes! I think so too… but there's still much more to face in the future!

**Mudkipluvr4ever: **Yeah, Sora can be really supportive when he really cares about someone! :D Glad you liked the update!

**Natural Chaos: **Yeah! That's true but there's even more to come! Heh heh heh! XD

**RedWords: **Yes I know! DX Though I have to say I am borderline dyslexic! I'll get my act together! XD And how can Riku really stay unhappy when he has a boyfriend like Sora! Hehe! Thanks for the review!

**Amanda-Nickel: **YAY! I'm glad you like my stories! Awwww! Thanks so much! The only problem with publishing original works is the fact that I would have to make up my own characters! I actually suck at that! Hehe! XD But thaks for the love and support!

**TaytayXD: **YAYA! Thanks! :D

**Aki-chan26: **Riku loves Kairi like she was his own kid… that's what makes it so hard for him to get over his loss in the ER. But he's okay now because he got to spend the day with Kairi and be a father to her and spoil her rotton! Hehe!

**Lightmaster: **Yep, everything is swell….. for now! Hehe! XD

**DeViLaNgEl11: **Yep! Thanks!

**Animesaki: **I so glad everyone is being so understanding for Riku… it makes me happy! Yeah, I think he would probably break down in the middle of the operating room if he lost someone who looked like Sora! Poor dude… but everything's okay. They even said I LOVE YOU! YAY!

**LonelyRedTears: **Awww! Well… it could have very well been your allergies AND the depressingness of the story! :D Though I hope your allergies clear up! Thanks for the review!

**AliceofHoenn: **Thanks so much!

**Loverslittlebattlefield: **He's okay now! :D YAY!

**Cj Quinn: **Now I know who to go to if I need to put Japanese in my story that's beyond my understanding of the language! PS: can I marry you now? XD Japanese equals the greatest thing to ever happen in the world. Hahah! ANYWAY! Thanks for the review!

**SagaLight: **HAHAH! I wanna play that game! Though I think I would suck at it because me and subtlety are not the best of friends! XD Awwe! Thanks for the feedback!

**Coffemug957: **Thanks so much! You're so nice! It makes me happy! :D I'm glad you liked the update!

**FireKat: **YESS! I love when I get reviews like these! I hope everything is okay health-wise! (sends you good/healthy vibes) Thanks so much and I'm really happy that I could make you feel that way! :D

**KatzeSchnee: **YESSS I AGREE! HEHE! Thanks!

**Guest 13: **Hehe! I think Tidus is pretty smokin' as well! XD Thanks for the review!

**CheshyCatGrin: **It's all good, as long as I could get your lovely feedback! Awe! Well your daughter is just fine and probably SUPER adorable! So don't worry! :D Thanks so much!

**MrCoopCake: **I LOVE THEE! You are awesome! :D

**Breaking6883: **Thanks so much!

**Krylancelo: **YAY! I'm glad you like it! Thanks so much for your review!

**Lovelyhellfire: **hehe! I hope you liked this update and don't worry! I never leave people hanging for TOO long! :D Thanks so much!

**Guest 1: **Thanks! I appreciate it!

**Guest 2: **Thanks you very much!

**Tumblrlovr: **I really love it when people tell me stuff like this! It makes me feel like I'm going viral and soon everyone will love me! HAHAHA! XD Thanks so much!

**Naruxhinacrazy: **Hehe! Yeah, in a lot of my stories Roxas and Sora are related, but in my two newest ones they are not related at all but coincidentally very similar! Thanks so much for the review and don't worry! Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do! Don't stress! Hehe! :D


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **Like I said in the previous chapter, life just isn't fair like that…

So I figure a lot of you are out buying or busy playing Dream Drop Distance, but I do hope you guys find at least a little time to read and review!

Chapter 19

I woke up earlier than usual. I actually woke up before Riku, which is really rare since his day starts so early already. I sighed softly and stared silently at the ceiling, the arms of the fan stretched and spinning in a slow circle.

I was tempted to pull out that manga and start reading it... but something told me that if Riku caught me reading gay manga in his house, I would never live it down... and I don't know, something about it just seemed wrong.

I turned to look at Riku and froze when he began to stir. With a stretch, he opened his eyes and yawned.

"You're up early..." Riku noted and smiled at me gently. I returned the smile.

"I don't know... I think its just nervous energy about this role. I know I'm going to do well... I mean, I have to. But I just worry that maybe that wont be good enough to impress other directors and such..." I mumbled aimlessly. Riku scooted closer to me and planted a kiss on my nose.

"You are going to blow them away. Just trust me, okay?" Riku said and took my hand.

I nodded before smirking. "Maybe I didn't give you enough credit yesterday... you're useful sometimes."

Riku scoffed before rolling on top of me. I groaned but didn't push him off. I was getting used to his little idiosyncrasies.

"You know what would really help you out?" Riku started.

"What?" I asked.

"I nice hot shower with me. What do you say?" Riku stated. He looked really excited for some reason, like he was sure I was definitely going to say 'yes.'

I sent him a confused look. What the fuck? What was I supposed to say to that? How was I supposed to respond to that question?

This has certainly never happened before.

"Uhhh, no. I can take my own shower..." I trailed off.

I really hated the way his face fell in a look of defeat. I felt bad about declining his offer but did he really think I would go for that? He's never even seen me naked and all of a sudden he wants to shower with me... it just wasn't going to happen.

"Fine..." he grumbled before getting off if me and heading towards the bathroom. I stood and yawned before leaving the room to see about making breakfast for Kairi after she gets ready for school.

I was flipping small pancakes when I heard Riku move down the stairs.

I placed the pancakes on a plate and spoke as I reached for the syrup on the shelf. "Do you want these before you go?" I asked growling a little when I couldn't reach the handle of the syrup bottle.

I yelped in surprise when I felt Riku move up behind me and grab the syrup for me. I smiled, "Thanks," I said.

Riku smiled in return. "Not thank you Sora, I'd rather eat you instead," He said with a chuckle before taking the plate from my hands, placing it on the counter, and moving to nibble and kiss my neck.

I shuddered at the tingles I felt but pushed him away. "You're going to be late for work, babe," I said before pressing a kiss on his lips.

I tried to pull away from him but he suddenly gripped my arms tightly and deepened our kiss. I really didn't want him to be late for work, but I just went with it and kissed him back.

I pulled from him for air and he captured my lips again, not letting me breath much. I didn't really kiss back this time. He was starting to annoy me. Why was he suddenly so aggressive with his advances? He bit my lip and I whimpered at the sharp pain before squirming.

"Okay stop…" I managed to get out before he stole my lips again.

"Come on Sora, don't be like that…" Riku said and I shivered when his hand slid down my spine and stopped at my lower back. He moved his kisses to my neck again and I sighed at the sensations.

"Riku… this is nice and all but you really need to go to work… you have to be there in fifteen minutes." He ignored me. "Babe…" I lost my train off thought and bit my lip when I felt his tongue trace up my neck.

Riku hummed against my neck and began to nibble on my ear. "I can't get enough of you…" he said and he slipped his hand under my shirt.

I sighed and pulled his arms away. "Seriously, you can kiss me later. Go to work, there are kids waiting to be healed by your hands," I said with a smile and kissed his cheek this time.

My boyfriend sighed and gave me one last hug before moving towards the door. When he was gone I let out a sigh. What the hell was up with him…

I finished making pancakes and smiled when I noticed it was time to wake up Kairi. I walked inter her room to find her already looking through her drawers.

"What are you doing up so early, Smiley-Kairi?" I asked.

"I'm looking for a blue shirt to go with my blue and white bow," She said.

"Bow?" I asked.

"Yeah, Riku got it for me yesterday… I forgot to tell you I guess," Kairi said and let out a cute little noise of triumph when she pulled out a dark blue shirt.

I laughed and kissed her cheek. "You have to go take a bath, love. If you get ready quickly, you and I can eat the pancakes I made," I said.

"Yummy pancakes!" Kairi said and she dashed towards the bathroom. I watched with pride as she turned on the water herself and tested the temperature.

She pushed in the drain stopper and I clapped with appreciation. "I'm so proud of you Kairi, you learning to do all of these things by yourself. Soon, I might be out of a job!" I joked.

"They fired you already!" Kairi looked at me with an appalled expression on her face.

My jaw dropped at her words but I couldn't help the mirthful laugh that escaped my mouth. "No, I meant my job as your father… Kairi. It was a joke," I said.

"Well… it's not very funny… you'll never stop being my daddy…" Kairi's voice was contemplative as she waited for the tub to fill with water.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" I asked.

"I… nevermind… can you pass me the bubbles, please?" Kairi asked politely and I obliged.

I gave her one last kiss on the cheek before moving out of her bathroom. It seems that my family decided today would be a great day to act really strange…

After drizzling smiley faces onto our pancakes with syrup, Kairi and I finished breakfast and I drove her to school before heading off to work.

-Hello, Doctor-

When I checked in with Vincent, he told me that I didn't have any tiny gigs until late in the afternoon so I need to find something constructive to do with my time.

I was going to find Roxas and talk to him, but it turns out that he was actually at a magazine interview. Rinoa was on the job at some other studio and I couldn't find Leon anywhere… not that a conversation would really occur even if I did find him.

I decided it would be best to just sit in the lounge and read the manga that Roxas gave me. I sat on the sofa and pulled the first volume out of my bag. To be honest… I was nervous about reading this… but it was the excited kind of nerves… it's not like I really had to care about anyone else seeing me read this… at lease not here.

With a relaxed sigh, I leaned back on the sofa and opened the book.

Not even thirty pages in and I could say, I loved this! It was so funny! I'm already in love with my character. His voice was so easy to hear even though his words were silent on the page. I could hear every word, sound every strange noise in my head, and pick up every tone from snide to gentle. I found myself laughing at all of his crazy expressions.

The pictures really made the story. The mangaka had this amazing way of making every emotion realistic by ironically giving them the most outrageous faces. Satoshi could go from looking completely normal, with a fond smile on his face directed towards his son, Akira.

But, Akira was a funny character. He was supposed be in preschool, but he was wise _way_ beyond his years. He reminded me a lot of Kairi. But the greatest moments are when Akira would say something completely shocking, the things you _never _thought a five-year old would say.

They were the greatest because Satoshi adopt these faces! His fond smile would turn into a wide eyed, jaw dropped, teeth pointed, utterly ridiculous looking face. But it was like the outward portrayal of what he felt on the inside. That's what made all the characters I meet so easy to identify with.

However, I was little put off by this Shindou Ryuichi guy… because I identified so well with my own character, when he harbored dislike for another character, I could feel it too.

And apparently I was supposed to fall in love with this Ryuichi guy? No way! He had no amiable qualities! He was a dick to Satoshi in high school and then suddenly, like fifteen years later he has the gall to come up to him and say, "Satoshi? Do you remember me? It's Shindou Ryuichi, we were in high school together. It's _so _nice to see you again!"

I mean come on! We never even liked each other! You were such a prick to me in high school!

I soon found myself groaning in aggravation at every little thing Ryuichi did to be nice to me… I mean Satoshi!

Whoa, got a little confused there!

It was really difficult for Satoshi to avoid Ryuichi because apparently his son was best friends/in love with Ryuichi's nephew.

The little girl that was on the front cover… actually a little boy…

Things started to come together a bit more when Satoshi is working one day and a customer decides to give him a hard time.

The customer was harassing one of the female waitresses, and because Satoshi is a really good guy, he leaves the kitchen to resolve the problem. Only the customer turns on him and starts harassing him instead.

I blushed when I observed the pictures on the page. The customer had him against the wall and was groping him. Satoshi was struggling but the customer, who seemed like a drunk, burly man, wouldn't let go.

Satoshi gets a hand free and pushes the guy and I found myself wincing when the panel showed the customer lifting his fast to hit Satoshi.

But someone catches the customer's arm. Ryuichi, totally saves the day.

At that moment… both Satoshi and I can't help but find Ryuichi to be totally badass. And he looked really fucking sexy in his suit. Ryuichi had these broad shoulders and a muscular form. Oh my God… it was instant… you really couldn't notice how attractive the guy was until Satoshi did…

I continued to read and found that there was this love triangle going on. So, apparently… Ryuichi is the rich owner of a fine china company. The head position has been passed down for generations and he now holds the position. Ryuichi has been in love with Satoshi since high school but he couldn't bring himself to talk to him or even look at him because he was really shy and he had to keep up the family reputation. Satoshi until the restaurant scene, thinks that Ryuichi is just a dick. Satoshi was married and had a kid, but his wife died in childbirth. Satoshi _really _loved his wife Miharu and was devastated when she died. Satoshi's childhood friend, Kawauchi Akihito promised Satoshi's wife that he would take care of Satoshi and Akira before she died. So he gives Satoshi the head chef position at his fancy restaurant and is always there for Satoshi and Akira when they need him.

One night, only a month after Miharu's death, Satoshi get's really wasted and mourns over his wife. Akihito finds him and tries to make him feel better… they kind of get carried away and I felt myself blush as they began to take off each other's clothes.

I flushed redder at the speech bubbles that began to have moaning noises in the center. They weren't… going to have sex were they? I looked at the panels. My face becoming even more heated as the pictures were very explicit.

They had penises! Full-frontal penises that took up one panel. I closed the book and placed it on the coffee table in front of the couch. I couldn't read that… I wasn't ready! Was I going to have to do a scene like that?

I looked back to the manga and I covered my burning face. I couldn't believe this was happening.

But I was really curious… I mean… I didn't know one thing about sex between men… this was the perfect excuse for me to find out without having to feel any shame. I slowly grabbed for the book again and looked around to see if there was anyone else in the lounge…

It was eerily quiet all of a sudden.

I opened the manga again and began to read, carefully examining each panel. I released a sigh of relief when I realized that intimacy between men was really just touching each other… at least that's what it seemed in here. I could do that… maybe…

Then I turned the page.

I didn't really know what it was at first… it looked like a bunch of lines and stuff but the next panel told me it wasn't just a bunch of lines.

It was a hole of some sort… at this point my face was so red that my eyes were starting to water. A finger went inside the hole and then the panel switched to see Satoshi arching in pleasure.

What was going on?

More fingers inter the hole and after a few more pictures… the hand was removed and the manga seemed to zoom out of the close up.

I gasped and covered my mouth in shock, the manga falling off my lap and onto the floor.

Akihito was sticking his fingers up Satoshi's butt? And Satoshi was getting pleasure out of it.

I shook my head, that couldn't be right! That didn't make any sense! Anuses were exits only… nothing should _EVER_ use it as an entrance.

I ran a hand through my hair and took a few large gulps of air. I had to look again to confirm this… I couldn't have just seen what I just did… it was impossible!

I looked around me again and sighed when no one was in the lounge. Everyone must be pretty busy today. I took one last deep breath before picking up the manga for a third time and continuing to read.

I wasn't mistaken. Looking back at the panels that were just lines before became a _clear _depiction of a butt hole! What the fuck?

I read on and was shocked when I realized that Akihito was going to… my face raging with flames of heat as the panel showed a dick entering that hole. Then the sound effects were words like 'squelch' and 'thrust!'

And looking at the characters, you could tell they were really feeling it. They trembled and moaned and shivered as they came… it was so crazy! Is this really what gay people do?

Is this what _I _would have to do? Both acting in front of a mike and with Riku?

I shuddered at the thought and hooted with relief when the scene was over.

The room started to become less hot as I got back into the main plot of the story. After that night of crazy comfort sex, Akihito and Satoshi returned to normal. They almost acted as if it never happened.

That was fine with me!

It was only until Ryuichi came into the picture that Akihito started to feel jealous of Satoshi's and Ryuichi's blooming relationship.

There was this really intense moment when Akihito is interrogating Ryuichi about his feelings for Satoshi. I thought they were going to start throwing punches.

Akihito actually tells Ryuichi about his and Satoshi's one night stand… he was basically bragging that he had Satoshi first.

You could tell Ryuichi was furious and later on that day, he takes that anger out on poor Satoshi.

The room heated up again when Ryuichi slams Satoshi against the wall and begins to attack him with kisses and gropes. Satoshi keeps telling him to stop and struggles to get free, but to no avail.

Ryuichi opens up Satoshi's pants and starts touching him. I looked away from the page for a second before continuing.

I could do this!

They sink to the floor and I blush when Ryuichi starts to tease Satoshi's nipples as his kisses move southward.

The next thing I know, Ryuichi is sucking on Satoshi's dick… Satoshi writhed with pleasure and I couldn't help but be completely captured by Ryuichi's eyes.

They were deep and dark, but they were filled with passion and desire and love… Just by looking at him you could tell that he wanted nothing but to give Satoshi everything.

Of course… Satoshi is dense so he wouldn't notice. When Satoshi climaxes he gets angry with Ryuichi and punches him… twice before getting up and leaving to pick up his son.

I actually felt really disappointed in Satoshi… he couldn't see how much Ryuichi loved him.

It is only at the end of the volume that Satoshi finally realizes just how much he had grown to love Ryuichi… there's this really touching confession between the two of them and Akira catches them kissing.

I laughed out loud when he told his father "It's about time, Satoshi! Hikaru and I have been waiting for you to become Ryuichi's wife!"

Again Satoshi goes to make a face when Ryuichi captures him lips in another kiss. I smiled and was actually excited later on when things started to heat up again between the two.

Their love scene was much more romantic than the others. The mangaka drew so that the transitions were much smoother, actions seemed gentler, and their emotions just seemed so much more profound. I was actually pleased with how the scene turned out.

I shifted in my seat and froze.

I was _really _pleased with the scene… I curled my legs up on the couch to hide the large boner I was now sporting. I had gotten so used to the heat of the mature scenes that I didn't even notice the fact that I was thoroughly hot and bothered by the moment.

I finished the first volume and frowned when I realized my boner was still there!

What was I supposed to do? I hadn't had a real boner like this one in years… there was no way I could jerk off at my work place. I REFUSE TO DO THAT.

I looked around and was yet again relieved that no one was in the lounge. I tried to relax and think of disgusting things but it seems my suddenly sexually frustrated body didn't want to let go.

And it was really starting to hurt! I felt tears come to my eyes when I realized I was fucked.

I looked to the other side of the room where the handicapped male bathroom was waiting. I whined inwardly. I didn't want to jerk off here!

_But no one is going to know, it's a personal bathroom… it has a lock and only one toilet. All you have to do is stay quiet and flush away the evidence. _

I can't do it! It's wrong!

_What's wrong is having to sit here on this sofa in pain, because you're too chicken to get rid of it!_

I couldn't believe I was having an argument with myself. With a huff, I put the manga back in my bag and checked to see if the coast was clear before running to the bathroom.

I locked the door and sighed with relief. I made it! Now, to get rid of this…

I opened my jeans and watched my boner spring free of its confines. I pulled it out of my boxers completely and shivered at the cold.

Tears came to my eyes again and I bit my lip as I began to stroke. I couldn't believe I was doing this! I couldn't do this! It was so…

It was…

My knees began to go weak at the pleasure of the friction on my hot skin. I let out a shuddery gasp and leaned against the wall when my grip tightened around my excited member.

It's been so long that I must have forgotten what it feels like to feel sexual pleasure. My entire body was tingling and weak, by breath shallow and my heart was pounding madly. My strokes became faster as I began to reach the edge.

I was getting so close… so close but I couldn't get myself over the edge… why was that?

I closed my eyes and gripped a little harder as I pumped my hand. I suddenly remembered this morning, Riku was kissing me, I could feel his hand on the skin of my lower back. I felt his tongue slowly trail up my neck…

"Riku…" I moaned softly as I came into my hand. The moment I came down from my orgasm induced high I gasped and jumped at what just happened.

I just came thinking about Riku! That's never happened before! It was the first time I had ever thought of Riku and I on a sexual standpoint.

_The yaoi manga was corrupting me! It was turning me more gay! _I quickly washed away my mess and whined at my misfortune.

I would never be able to look at Riku the same again… before he was my lover in a sort of life companionship level… now, he was more than that… my thoughts of him suddenly became dirtier.

"_Just wait till I become a literal pain in your ass, you won't joke after that…"_

OH MY GOD! That's what he meant! He was thinking about sex with me! My face turned lobster red and I covered my face in embarrassment.

I couldn't do it… I couldn't have sex with him! There was no way I was going to let his penis go up my ass! That would just soil my image of Riku completely! Our love would be sullied!

How was I supposed to deal with this?

A/N: So a new conflict begins… review and let me know what you think! :D

**VeePasta: **Haha! That would have been a funny coincidence but the manga gave him a pretty straightforward heads-up. And Sora is the UKE… I don't think I would have him any other way! XD Thanks for the review!

**CheshyCatGrin: **Heheheh! Of COURSE he is going to star in a yaoi anime! That's probably one of the only things he's good for! Haha! Just kidding, I love you Sora! Awe! Amy! She even has a CUTE NAME! XD Thanks for the review!

**Mudkipluvr4ever: **Riku will find out about Sora's job soon! And Kairi can only watch the PG rated parts of the anime… if there are any… XD Thanks for the review!

**Dreamy Duskywing: **Yeah, I wanted more Riku cuteness! Hehe! You thought the anime was going to be fluffy! Sora soon finds that the cover of this yaoi is very deceiving! Well, it does have its sweet moments… but there's a lot of sexiness too! :D Thanks so much for the feedback!

**Muffy: **Awe, you stopped watching the Olympics for MEEEE? I am flattered! And we shall never abandon this fic! Not even if I reach my goal of 1000 views before it's finished. Don't worry my friend!

**Leviathan of the Sea: **Penname = EPIC… I am putting Cleon into this story but before that I have to take care of some things. Don't worry though! :D

**Ldrmas: **Hehe! Yeah, thanks for the review!

**Anna Crosszeria: **As much as I love Koisuru Bokun… you are right in saying that it wouldn't fit. Did the mangaka ever finish Koisuru Bokun? The last time I read it online it wasn't done… but that was a LONG time ago… and I read the Doujin where the characters are forest animals…that was ADORABLE… but year I never really finished the main story! XD

**INessie: **Sora is a newb… it's not his fault he lives in a cave! Hehe! But now he knows! XD Thanks my friend!

**Formidable Rain: **YOUR PICTURE CHANGED! GASP! AWWWWW I LOVE YOU TOO! Yay! I like making you laugh! (huggles!) Sora can't be embarrassed like that… it would be TOO mortifying! So instead he's reading it at the studio! Yeah, poor Kairi… she'll understand! Review! WONDERFUL-READER-PERSON! Heh! :D

**C. Phantomhive: **Yess! Black Butler! And thanks for the review!

**Sayonara7: **Dude! I feel like I haven't heard from you in FOREVER! If it's just my imagination then I missed you for no reason! Heheh! XD But I did miss you! I'm glad you liked the update!

**Natural Chaos: **Coincidence Lover is something I made up… but it's basically at least five of my favorite yaoi plotlines mashed together! XD Thanks for the review!

**Lightmaster: **YES YOU WERE CORRECT! And yeah Coincidence Lover is something I made up though it is basically a mash up of 5 or six of my favorite yaoi plotlines.

**Joxas: **Heheh! Yep Cloud is already here! And so is Leon! You know what that means! XD Thanks for the review!

**DeViLaNgEl11: **hehe! So true, but now Sora knows and he's not really feelin it yet! XD Thanks for the review!

**The Fuzzy Ficus: **Yay! And yes I knew the whole thing about the Maned Wolf not being a wolf… (you are talking to one of the worlds biggest wolf nerds!) GAH YOU WENT TO THE SAN DIEGO ZOO! Whenever I hear about San Diego I automatically think of Anchorman with Will Farrell… I love that movie so much it's unhealthy! XD YESSS GAY LIONS! You go and enjoy California! So many great things come from there! Like Avenged Sevenfold and Hollywood! XD Thanks for the review!

**Dragonrose21: **The Amandas Unite thing is what I say when I find out a reviewer is also named Amanda! So besides me you are like the fifth person to read this story with the greatest name in the world! YESSS! AMANDAS UNITE!

**LonelyRedTears: **YAY! I love making people's days! And your instincts are right about the storm coming! Great stories are never happy for too long! XD Thanks for the review!

**Animesaki: **YESS! YESS AGAIN! YESS TO ALL OF THE SENTENCES IN YOUR REIVEW! :D

**CazzyLove: **Hee! Thanks Love! You da best, Caz! :D

**Aki-chan26: **Riku will find out about things soon and we shall see what happens! And have lots of fun in the mountains! (I like the wilderness but I HATE bugs so I never actually explore the wilderness for too long.) XD

**RedWords: **HEHE! Yes! Thanks for the review!

**Mochiusagi: **Yep! Sora and yaoi are like macaroni and cheese! They ALWAYS go TOGETHER! And as you can see, his world totally got shaken and turned upside down! SORA = MIND BLOWN!

**Kaoru-chibimaster: **YAY! Thanks! I hope you liked the update!

**Animedprincess: **YESSS KEEP SMILING AND BE HAPPY! Thanks!

**TayTayXD: **Thanks so much, Tay! (can I call you Tay?)

**Yana5: **Now you know! :D

**PearlsXofXsin: **Yeah, I don't think Sora would have survived if he hadn't read the manga before recording started. And yes, Kairi and Zell will have to accept little bits and pieces. And for the rest I will not tell you anything! I want you to find out when I update! Hehe! Thanks for the review!

**Loverslittlebattlefield: **Thanks! :D

**Dannyrockwell: **Thanks so much, Danny!

**SaixIsMean: **Thanks so much and YAY FOR ANOTHER AMANDA! AMANDAS UNITE!

**AliceofHoenn: **Hehe! Sorry about the tooth ache! Thanks for the review! And don't worry about spelling! I'm not that great at it either! :D

**MrCoopCake: **Thanks so much! And SORA WILL NOT DROP OUT! Though, if I ever had to have my soul eaten… I would want the soul eater to eat it a la mode… everything goes down better with ICE CREAM! And haha! The internet things was amusing to me too! I crack myself up so many times it's not healthy! Heh! I hope you are having lots of fun getting ready for or playing KH: DDD! :D

**Anonymous: **Yay for perma-smiles! WOW I AM HONORED to be the writer of the one and only KH slash fic you've ever read. YES CONVERT! And yeah, I try to make every at least a little bit believable and true to character. So thanks!

**Merrr16: **Thanks so much and I'm really glad you like it! :D


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters except for Jane!

Chapter 20! OH MY GOD!

When I finished the entire manga series… I was officially confused. Things were just so much simpler when I didn't know about all of this sex stuff. It was putting a strain on my relationship with Riku.

Everything he did, whether it was an innocent hand brush or a heated kiss. I would tense up and then I would have to stop. I don't know what would happen if I let our little escapades continue… I might do something stupid or he might want to go all the way… and I…

I can't do that! I'm scared, I'm nervous, I'm confused, I'm just not ready for it.

And part of me just knows that Riku wants to take our relationship further… I know he does and that upsets me.

I don't like leaving Riku hanging and I hate feeling as though I can't give Riku what he deserves.

I've been completely terrible to him lately and I feel bad about it… but just thinking about the way men have sex makes me shudder in fear.

Yesterday, Kairi, Riku, and I were having dinner together and Kairi and I were laughing about how Riku can't have his food touching or mixing on the plate. Riku sent me a glare and I relented.

"_You guys are mean…" Riku mumbled and kicked me under the table. _

_I yelped and kicked him back before whining, "Kairi, Riku kicked me!" _

_Kairi laughed some more before looking to Riku. "We're sorry for making jokes, 'Tou-san. We weren't trying to hurt your feelings." _

"_Kairi! HE KICKED ME!" I yelped when she ignored me._

"_You kicked him back, Daddy. You always tell me two wrongs don't make a right but you never follow the rule yourself," Kairi said and my jaw hit the floor._

"_My own daughter betrays me!" I cried before taking a bite of my food._

_Riku hummed with amusement before he took my face in his hands and kissed me. He pried my mouth open with his tongue and my eyes widened when he took some of the food from my mouth. He pulled from me and swallowed. _

"_I don't mind that combination though…" he said with a smirk, his eyes hungry for something I wasn't ready to offer. _

_I kissed Riku's cheek and grabbed my plate. I wasn't all that hungry anymore. _

"_Sora, are you okay?" Riku asked and stood when I moved over to the sink. _

"_Yeah, I'm fine," I said and rinsed my food from my plate and turned on the food disposal before letting out a yawn. "Just tired all of a sudden…" I said and walked over to Kairi. "Daddy's hitting the sack, Kairi," I said and kissed her on the head. "Be good for Otou-san," I said and made my way upstairs. _

_I was laying in the bed when Riku entered the bedroom. "Baby, are you awake?" he whispered and I hummed._

_He climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around me. "Are you sure you're okay? You've been acting kind of strange lately," Riku said._

"_I'm sure," I said but tensed when Riku's hand snuck under my nightshirt to lightly message the small of my back. _

"_See, you get so tense… are you stressed about work? You should talk to me, you know you can tell me anything right?" Riku said and began to rub my back up and down._

_He was only trying to comfort me, but I couldn't have his bare hands on my skin. I rolled away from him and was about to fall asleep when Riku pulled me to him, my back against his chest._

"_Riku… can you let go of me please… I'm hot and you're not making it any better," I said, making sure to make my voice gentle._

"_You don't really feel any warmer than usual, but I hope you're not coming down with something," Riku said and turned me over so that he could put his hand to my forehead. "You do kinda feel a little warm. Would you like me t-"_

"_Riku, it's okay… I just want to go to sleep," I said my voice a bit firmer as I turned from him to go to sleep._

"_Okay… sweet dreams…" he said softly before lying down._

This morning he didn't wake me before he went to work. I was really worried that I might have really hurt him by being so distant… but I don't know what to do.

Then on the other hand of it all, we've started recording for this anime. It has been going so well. It was amazing how people change when they are in a studio. Roxas and I make a great pair.

I was a little nervous when I found out that Leon was Ryuichi, but he's been really amazing on set. He talks a lot more, he gives feed back, and brings so much energy to the room.

I also met the actors from the other studio that are also in the anime.

Axel is so funny! He's never afraid to take acting to the next level. Olette was really sweet and she portrayed her character so well.

The two kids… Oh, they are _so _adorable! But they are so professional as well! The boy who plays Akira, is about seven. He doesn't act like a snotty seven-year old though. He's completely serious about being his character. And the boy who plays Hikaru is also really amazing… his voice sounded so much like a little girl's that I was sure that everyone who sees the anime would be just as shocked as I was when they find that Hikaru is actually a boy!

The adult cast has been going out for dinner and drinks lately. I only come along sometimes, but the times that I have gone have been so much fun. We're really all just a bunch of animation nerds.

It's only been a week into recoding but because everyone sees each other outside of the studio, we've all become really close.

Today we were going to record a scene from episode 9 because they wanted to see if I would need some coaching on intimate moments in anime.

It wasn't a full sex scene. It was the scene after Akihito and Ryuichi have that argument over Satoshi.

When I was moving into the studio, I could feel my knees trembling as I walked. I didn't want to fuck this up… but then again, how the fuck was I supposed to make it sound believable. I mean, I haven't had a sexual encounter in like six years…

I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked over to see Leon. "Relax, you'll do fine. If it doesn't work out then you'll get some coachings so that you can do better next time. That's why were doing this early on…" Leon assured and I let out a sigh.

"I don't even know how this works…" I said.

"Well… we read our lines into the mike, they may ask for us to kiss for a legitimate sound effect and then we act out the rest," Leon said and I blushed.

"I have to kiss you?" I asked.

"Is that so bad?" Leon smirked.

"No… I guess…" I said. Leon chuckled and put an arm around my shoulders.

"Let's make this a game then… it'll make you less tense. Our mission is to turn on the people outside the sound room. Think we can do it?" Leon asked.

I giggled maniacally before looking at Leon. "It's so on! Let's do this!" I said.

"You know your lines right?" Leon asked.

I scoffed. "What kind of professional do you think I am!" I said with a smirk.

"Good. Let's blow them away now," Leon said.

"Alright guys, the director said he wants the kiss to be the real thing, we have the rest of the effects. We just want you to follow the script and give us all the good stuff," The guy said before he pulled on the headphones and queued us to begin.

"Ryuichi, where are you taking me?" I asked and frowned when I received silence in reply.

The sound effects indicate that we stopped the car and got out before moving into a building. I looked over to Leon, he smiled at me and I grinned.

"Ryuichi, is this where you live? This is crazy! It's so-" Leon suddenly took me and pressed his lips to mine. I let out a small yelp and pulled away, "Ryui-" I was cut off again by Leon's lips.

I almost laughed when Leon made a point to make this kiss as loud as possible. I felt as though the sound of smacking could be heard down the hall.

I pushed Leon away, "Ryuichi, stop!" I yelped, adopting a frightened tone.

"No…" Leon said as Ryuichi and pressed his lips to mine again. We stood in front of the same mike. "My kisses are better than Akihito's, aren't they?" Leon said, his voice low and sexy. I smiled before returning to my character.

"Akihito? Ryuichi what are you talking about? What did Akihito say to you?" I asked breathlessly. Leon put his arms on my waist and released a low growl.

"So it's true… I don't care if Akihito had you first… you're mine and I'm not giving you up to anyone!" he said.

"Ryuichi, you're not making any sense! I don't belong to anyone!" I snapped angrily and Leon smirked.

"I'll show you, your body won't lie," He said lowly in my ear but loud enough for the mike to pick up and I yelped when he licked my ear.

I listened and waited for my queues from the sound track playing. When I heard my queue I gasped and let out a small whimper. I wrapped my arms around Leon and tried not to laugh. Leon placed kisses along my neck and when I heard my queue again I began to play it up more.

"Ahn… hah! Ryu-Ryuichi… n-not there!" I moaned. These lines were so funny!

"Satoshi… I've only teased you here and you're already erect… your body is so honest…" Leon's voice was deep and rumbled in his throat, I knew that the fans would totally love this.

I looked over to the people listening to the tracks as they recorded and I smirked when I noticed some of them had blushes on their faces.

"Ahhn! N-no! S-stop! Ahhhhha!" I moaned and whined. Leon let out his hums and grunts and I knew it was up to me to wrap it up.

"Ryu… Ryuichi… St-stop! I-I'm going t-to… Ahn! Haah!" I really had no idea what kind of noise I was supposed to make as my character came but I hoped that was good enough.

"See, Satoshi… every part of you belongs to me…" Leon said and I said my last lines.

There was the sound effect of a punch "Get off! You're s-sick!" I said and the other punch sounded before Satoshi left the scene.

"Cut…" one of the recorders said and Leon and I burst into laughter.

"Did you see the look on their faces?" I said before falling to the floor with laughter.

"Sora, you really nailed those lines! For a second I thought you were really turned on," Leon said with a laugh.

"I think… well, when I read the manga… it was so easy to imagine what those moans and stuff would have sounded like… so I just stored them away for future use on set," I explained.

"Sora and Leon! You two were holding out on me this whole time! Who knew you two had such good chemistry!" Roxas said and pulled me off the floor.

"That was such a liberating experience!" I said to Roxas and he nodded.

"Yeah, I told you these roles are fun. Sora… um, are you and Leon together or something?" Roxas asked.

I sent him a puzzled look. "No, he and I were just trying to see if we could successfully turn on everyone in the room," I explained.

"Well shit, it worked," Roxas said. "That's why I was wondering… you two just did it so naturally…" Roxas trialed off.

"No, Leon's just really good at pulling out my best performances," I said.

"Well, they are sending that recoding to the director to see if he's satisfied. He will be though… that was really hot," Roxas blushed.

I laughed and looked for Leon. "Great job, partner!" I said and gave him a thumbs up.

Leon just smiled and nodded before moving off to do the previous scene with Axel.

"Sora, you should go out with us for drinks tonight," Roxas said.

"I would if I had money, I'm poor remember?" I said.

"Awe, we're going to a bar Vincent frequents, we always put it on his tab," Roxas said.

"Are you _sure _that's okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, you should go see him. I bet you he's already heard the good news about your great moaning skills. Really… it sounded like you were really feeling it. I guess it kind of helped to have Leon really kiss you," Roxas said.

I paused and thought about it. Leon and I were kissing but it really was just a work thing… I didn't feel any sort of emotional connection or really get any pleasure out of it. It was nothing like the way I feel when Riku kisses me. I feel hot and cold at the same time, scared but safe, completely off kilter but then again… just right.

I missed being able to kiss him without the pressures of sexual desire. I just want to be able to share my affections without feeling so dirty and unsure.

I sighed before smiling at Roxas. "I'll go ask to be sure," I said and headed to Valentine's office.

I knocked twice and entered when he bid me to do so. I walked up to his desk. "So I'm really poor… but the rest of the cast want to go drinking… they said they put the drinks on your tab so I don't have to worry?" I said with a questioning tone at the end.

"Go… but don't forget you have to work tomorrow. And Sora…" He paused and I looked at him.

"Yes, sir?" I asked.

"Keep up the good work," Vincent said and I smiled.

"Of course!" I said and headed out the room.

-Hello, Doctor-

After a long day of work and then a couple of drinks at the bar, I was only happy to finally get home.

I yawned as I opened the door before turning and locking it. I looked around to see if anyone was downstairs. It was pretty late so I knew Kairi was asleep.

I walked down the hall to see if Riku was working in his office. I smiled when I saw his body leaning over his desk with the light blaring down on all of his huge medical books.

"Hey, are you working or sleeping at your desk?" I asked with a fond smile.

He sat up and turned to me, I loved the way he looked with glasses. "Working… Did you stay late at work today?" Riku asked and I shook my head.

"No not really, the cast went out for drinks and I had a couple. I figured I deserved it after doing so well in the studio today," I said with a smile and moved further into the room.

"I'm glad you're having a good time," Riku said and I walked over to him. I stood between his legs and pulled him into a hug. Riku stood and held me close.

"I'm sorry I didn't wake you up this morning," Riku said, I shook my head and took comfort in Riku's warmth.

Things were so perfect when they were like this.

I yelped suddenly when Riku yanked me from his arms and sent me the angriest look I had ever seen on him.

"Riku?" I asked confused.

"Sora, what the _fuck _is that on your neck?" Riku said in a quiet but furious tone.

"Is there something on my neck?" I asked and put my hand on my neck to see if something was there.

"Yes Sora, there's something on your neck… There's a fresh kiss mark on the left of your neck! I want to know why, and I want to know now," he said, his eyes were cutting me like blades.

"Kiss mark? What are you talking about?" I asked, thoroughly confused. I didn't ever remember having a kiss mark on my neck.

"Sora, don't fucking play dumb with me! I know I didn't give it to you, so who did?" Riku asked. I ignored his question for a second and move to the bathroom to see what he was talking about.

There was a mark on my neck… but where did I get it? I don't remember kissi-

Oh! Leon must have made one on accident during the recording.

I turned to Riku. "I'm sorry about that, Riku. For the recording they wanted a realistic kissing sound effect so me and Leon recorded one. He must have given me this hickey on accident. I'll be sure to warn him so it doesn't happen again," I said and moved to leave the bathroom.

I jumped when Riku slammed his hand against the doorframe, making a loud smacking noise.

"_I'll be sure to warn him so it doesn't happen again? _SORA! Do you have any idea what you just said! You're _my_ boyfriend, Sora! That means that no one else should be kissing you!" Riku snapped.

"What? The director asked for it, it's not like I was cheating on you or anything. When we were done with the scene, we stopped and everything was as it always was. It's acting… that's it," I said.

"Sora I don't _care _if it's just acting! And besides, you're a voice actor, it's not as if you have to kiss him! Leave that for your anime character! And what the fuck kind of role did you get if you have to kiss someone like that for a scene?" Riku demanded.

I blushed. "… I really didn't want to have to tell you this… but it's a yaoi anime. A gay romance series. I have to voice both kissing scenes and sex scenes… moans and all…" I said feeling embarrassed.

"What? I don't want you doing that! Ask for another role!" Riku yelled.

"What? No! People are counting on me, Riku!" I argued.

"I don't want other men _touching and kissing _my boyfriend! It's bad enough I barely get that privilege!" Riku yelled again.

"It's not like I actually have to have sex with them, Riku. And those kisses mean nothing to me, can't you just trust me as a professional! You have been supporting me all this time, you can't suddenly pull the rug from under my feet like that!" I snapped starting to get angry.

"Well Sora, that was before I found out that they were going to use you for cartoon porn!" Riku shouted.

My jaw hit the floor. I would have felt _less _insulted if he had taken my dream, ripped it to pieces, stomped it into the dirt, and shat on it. "Riku, you can call me a shit actor, you can beat me to a pulp for all I care… that's just me… but I will _not _tolerate you disrespecting the hard work that all of the people have put into this series. For you to call it porn is worse than anything you could have said…" I said lowly, completely appalled by Riku's behavior.

"Well I'm sorry if I'm a little bitter that my boyfriend won't even let me hold him when we sleep, but some random actor gets to kiss all over you, and leave a mark to mock me. Does he get to fuck you too? God knows you wont do it with me… maybe he'll have better luck," Riku sneered.

"Maybe he fucking will, Riku! And since apparently he's in a porn industry, he'll be really good at it too!" I yelled furiously.

"FUCK YOU, SORA!" Riku said and I watched as he made his way upstairs.

"No thanks, sorry Riku, I'm taking the couch!" I snapped before heading to the living room.

I plopped onto the couch and punched the armrest a few times before twisting into a horizontal position. I couldn't believe how much of a dick Riku was being right now. I wasn't going to fuck anyone… I'm not a slut and I am not starring in a porn vid! I was just trying to do my job well and what do you know… I get yelled at and insulted for it!

I scoffed before drifting off to sleep.

A/N: Uh oh! They're fighting! What's going to happen? Review and you will find out! :D

**VeniVediVici: **Thanks for the review! I'm sure you'll get your chance to play soon enough :D In the meantime, I'm glad you can enjoy my stories!

**Mudkipluvr4ever: **He's been giving his daughter almost every second of his life since he was sixteen. And even then he didn't have a father to guide him and was already sort of an old fashioned kinda guy… so that's why he knows nothing of gay sex. I hope you liked the update, even though the tensions are high.

**Dreamy Duskywing: **HAHAH! It was the opposite for me… I went in knowing that is was yaoi… but I didn't expect so many penises within the first twenty pages… my face was red for the ENTIRE DAY! XD Well, Riku's getting a little tired of waiting… but you have to understand it from Riku's standpoint… people who love each other should be comfortable enough to be intimate with each other… so he's upset at Sora's sudden change of heart. Yeah, well… if I had the money to go to the UK I would totally make it easier for you… but alas I have improper funds…

**The Fallen Angel13: **Thanks so much!

**Cazzylove: **Hehe! Yeah, that was his penis arguing with his brain… sometimes the little guy just can't help himself! HAHA! XD Thanks so much for the review, Caz!

**Kenshin8923: **It's fine! But I made up the manga by mixing up a different bunch of yaoi plotlines (I even made up the names)… if you found a yaoi with the same plot and title, please let me know! I don't want any copyright issues and stuff! Anyway, I read from the Rurouni Kenshin fandom but there aren't enough yaoi shipping's on FF. It's like 90 percent Kenshin and Kaoru. Too much het for me! HAHA! XD

**Natural Chaos: **YAY! And yay for sticks to beat people with! YESS! XD Thanks!

**INessie: **HAHA! Sora knows deep down he wants it… he's still in denial! XD Thanks for the review!

**TayTayXD: **Wow, Amanda as a middle name? That still counts to me! AMANDAS UNITE!

**Kaouru-chibimaster: **HAHAHHAH! I love Shakespearian speech! I used to reword rap songs to make them sound more like Shakespeare! And sadly Sora only has common sense when dealing with his daughter… everything else… not so much! XD He's dug himself into denial again.

**Muffy: **MUFFYLOVE! Yeah, I had a slight soft spot for Akihito as well. :D Thanks for the review and the awesomeness that you are!

**RedWords: **Yay for giggles… though there's not too much giggling involved in this chapter… AHAHAH! I only WISH our bookstores sold yaoi manga! The closest I got was one shounen ai and they didn't even have it facing forward so that people could see it! ( ) I can't tell you how many close encounters I've had with my Mom and yaoi manga… so many memories that might be better off suppressed! XD Thanks for the review!

**Animesaki: **Thanks so much for the review! And yes, some point Sora's gonna have to give it up!

**DeViLaNgEl11: **YAY! I'm glad you thought it was funny! :D And YESS! I love squeals!

**Excalisnake: **I love reviews like these! Thanks so much for taking the time to review when you usually don't! It means a lot to me! I hope you liked the update!

**Lightmaster: **YESS! Thanks so much!

**Sayonara7: **Yeah, Sora's like a turtle… the minute he feels emotionally or physically threatened, he retreats… Thanks for the review!

**Formidable Rain: **I TEASED YOU! No steaminess yet! I wish I could draw Sora's hair! I can draw his face and his body but his hair is forever lopsided and or discombobulated. HEHE! Either way, Sora is a newb! So I don't know about sexual tension, but there IS a lot of angry tension. I hope this is okay… I don't think I was ever good with sexual tension in my stories… it's almost always just pining! XD

**Anastaisya: **THANK YOU! I hope you liked this update and I'll see about The Pack Two soon!

**XxRenThyRavenxX: **Aww I'm sorry! It's be there soon! IM SURE OF IT! Sora and denial are synonymous.

**Dragonrose21: **Thank you, my friend!

**PearlsXofXsin: **YAY! I'm glad you thought it was funny! Riku is feeling a little sexually deprived and he needs some lovin'… leave it to Sora to poop out all of a sudden! XD Thanks for the review!

**Yana5: **Thanks for the review… Sora's too ridiculous to be calm about it! :D

**Mochiusagi: **I'm gald you liked it and that I could give you laughter! :D

**CheshyCatGrin: **Thanks so much! HAHA! Yeah, not really work appropriate! Hehe! Well, I'm sure Dream Drop Distance is worth playing so I don't mind too much. :D

**Joxas: **Sora… derp.

**The Fuzzy Ficus: **I LOVE YAOI! … there are some that are a little TOO much… but most of them are really great and there have been a few that have moved me to tears. So I have no scarring but sometimes it's good to take a break from it all because it's ADDICTING! Thanks so much for the review!

**Guest1: **Yay! And yes, Sora is the epitome of slow when it comes to relationships… he hasn't really had many! Thanks and STAY CLASSY!

**Meachristina: **YAY! MORE LAUGHTER! Thanks!

**Anna Crosszeria: **Yay! I should go re-read it all! (Have you seen the OVAs? Hehe! They were the first Yaoi OVAs I had ever seen… I was blushing the ENTIRE time! HA!) Awe! I can't wait for that omake! The manga in the story is halfway made up, I just mixed and matched plotlines of different yaois. YES there will be a lemon scene… but not very soon. Sora's not ready yet!

**Anonymous (Sab): **Have fun with KH: 3D! Yeah, there's a chink in Sora's armor but because of that, he's compensating by being distance… obviously Riku doesn't like it! Poor things… they can't seem to catch a break! XD

**Lastbloom: **Thanks so much! I'm glad I could make you laugh!

**Merrr16: **Thanks so much! And I feel so honored that not even KHDDDwill stop you! Thanks! :D


	21. Chapter 21

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **If I had owned Kingdom Hearts characters… let's just say that kids wouldn't have been able to play the video game.

I know a lot of are probably like… NO! STOP THE FIGHTING! But it shall carry on… real men are stubborn and aren't so quick to change their opinions… so… it continues, but bear with me because it will get better! :D

Chapter 21

Riku didn't wake me up this morning either. Which was a pain in my neck because I slept in.

I had to wake up Kairi and we had to haul ass in order to get to our places on time. I guess it was okay because Kairi always thought it was funny when I was all panicky and in a rush… and I love to hear her laugh.

I ran up to Vincent's office and he seemed pleased that I had overexerted myself just to make it to his office on time.

"Alright, Sora. Today we're going to do some editing of the scenes we've already recoded. Sometimes, it's just easier to get the actor to match the character's mouth movements instead of the other way around," Vincent said.

I nodded. "Is there anything else I have to do today?" I asked.

"No, editing may seem simple… but it's actually a lot more time consuming than one thinks. Oh, and I want to give you a heads up on this interview that's happening in two days," Vincent added.

"An interview?" I asked.

"It's going to be a radio interview with the main cast members. It's just to publicize the series and allow people to get to know the actors behind the characters."

"That sounds like fun!" I exclaimed.

"Be careful about it though, you don't want to end up looking like an idiot." Vincent smirked.

I gasped. "I would _never!_"

"Get out of my office, please…" Valentine said as he shook his head at my antics.

"You love me, Valentine! You know you do!" I said with a laugh as I exited the room.

I walked over to the lounge and sat on the sofa with a sigh. Even though I had slept in this morning, I was exceptionally tired. I just felt so emotionally drained.

Probably because of my fight with Riku… I really did hate fighting with him and his words really hurt when he wants them to. I hated feeling as though I was walking on thin ice with him.

I was going to talk to Leon about the recordings; I wasn't going to let him kiss me anymore. Its not like they meant anything but I didn't want Riku to feel uncomfortable with me and my occupation. I just wanted him to be proud of me… I wanted him to feel like he can support me no matter what.

I moved to stand up and go find Leon when he entered the lounge.

"Hey Leon, can I talk to you for a sec?" I asked.

He looked at me before moving to sit on the sofa next to me.

"It's about yesterday… I know that is was just acting and we both are professionals, but you gave me a hickey yesterday and my boyfriend didn't appreciate it. He doesn't feel comfortable letting other people kiss me during recordings. He just doesn't understand that as professionals we have to do things that would otherwise seem inappropriate. So what I'm asking is, that when we shoot the sex scene, we keep our distance," I said.

"You shouldn't let your boyfriend get in the way of our work," Leon said seriously and I nodded.

"I know but I don't want to fight with him anymore… I don't want to put a strain on my family," I said. "I promise that you and I can pull it off without having to be all over each other. I have faith in us, do you?" I asked.

Leon smiled and put a hand on my shoulder before standing and leaving the lounge. I sighed in relief. I knew I could trust Leon to understand. If only my boyfriend could do that.

After a long day of editing… I can't believe it took a whole day to do one scene… there are like five scenes in one episode alone… It was going to take forever to finish the whole series.

And let me tell you, you have to _really _love your character to be able to say the same line like five billion different ways until it finally satisfies the director.

The director was an interesting person. He was basically the middleman between us and the mangaka. I really would have loved to meet the mangaka, but I guess she was busy in Japan doing Japanese things.

The director's name was Ansem. He was a cool guy but everything about him screamed professional. He wasn't afraid to make you go the extra mile for the authenticity and betterment of the recording. I respected that.

That's why I didn't complain when he asked Axel and I to stay late in order to record the first sex scene.

I guess I should have gone through the same speech with Axel… but we didn't really know each other all that well and I didn't think it would be smart for a newbie like me to tell him what to do.

Again, we were all professionals here. Anything that we had to do in the recording studio was simply for the recording and the recording alone.

So I just went along with it when Ansem said it would be better if I kissed for the recording again.

"You ready?" Axel asked with a goofy smile.

I returned the smile. Axel was a really nice guy and he always made sure that his coworkers were comfortable. "Yeah, let's make this scene as explosive as possible," I said with a snort.

Axel laughed. "I hope that was supposed to be a pun, that one was too good to ignore! Plus, it's our job to start these ecchi scenes with a big sexy bang!" Axel said.

"You're right, I mean we are the first one, we should show them what they're in for," I said.

"Certainly," Axel replied.

By the end of the recording, the director seemed pleased, and that was more than I could ask for.

"Good job Sora, I know it must be a little hard on you because you're so new to this… but I'm really glad I got to work with someone like you. You're probably one of the best rookies I've ever met," Axel said.

I smiled and pulled Axel into a bear hug. "Thank you so much for saying that… I can't tell you how badly I needed to hear someone say that…" I said and pulled from him.

"Life's been giving you a hard time?" Axel asked.

I sighed. "My boyfriend is not happy with the work I'm doing right now… and it just hurts… he used to be so proud of me and now…" I trialed off.

"Well, Leon's actually in the lounge waiting for me. I was going to have a drink at his house, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you came too. You look like you just need to get drunk and have a nice cry. Believe me, it works wonders! When I first started in this industry… I had to do a rape scene…" Axel said.

I winced. "That must have been brutal," I said.

"It really fucked me up. My girlfriend left me because I couldn't get it up for her anymore, every time I thought about sex, I could immediately hear the victim character screaming for me to stop. At one point I became so disgusted with myself that I contemplated suicide. Then Leon and I got drunk and I let everything go and the next morning, though I had a killer headache, I felt like I had made some progress towards feeling better about myself," Axel finished.

"Okay… I'm going to Leon's house. I need to get wasted," I said and entered the lounge.

"Leon, do you mind?" I asked and Leon shook his head.

"Let's go," Leon said.

-Hello, Doctor-

Riku's POV

Sora hasn't come home yet and it's already after one in the morning. I was glad that Kairi went to bed early because then she didn't have to know about it.

Where could he be? His job wouldn't have kept him out all night. He sometimes goes drinking with his co-workers but he's usually back by midnight.

"Riku… don't jump to conclusions okay… he's not cheating on you…" I said softly to myself as I got into bed. I leaned against the headboard and sighed.

The bed just didn't feel the same anymore without him in it. Ever since his recording started, our relationship has become so strained. He doesn't want me to touch him.

I'm not stupid… something happened to him and now he doesn't want to have any sort of intimacy with me.

Was it something _I _did? I just don't understand what's going on in his head.

And I don't get why I can't kiss him but apparently he's totally fine with kissing his coworkers.

And I know that he's proud of his work… and he's grown so much since the fist day he's started. He's really invested his time responsibly and he's learned to be so much more serious when he needed to be…

But I fear that it's also made him put his work over his home life with Kairi and I. It just hurts, it hurts so bad to know that you've been bumped down on the list… especially when you knew that when he first started, he was thinking about making Kairi's life better and you knew that you were part of that.

What happened?

I sighed again and looked up at the ceiling in order to stop the tears from falling. I missed my boyfriend. I missed being able to shower him in kisses and I missed being able to make up new bedtime stories with him for Kairi. I missed being able to sit at the dinner table together.

I wanted him to tell me that he still loves me. I wanted him to let me hold him when he sleeps…

I covered my face and took a deep, shuddery breath. I couldn't lay here crying all night.

If Sora was going to forget about Kairi, then it was my job to take care of her and remind him that he was part of a family… a family that needed him to get his act together.

"Otou-san?" I jumped when I heard Kairi's small voice in the doorway. "Hai, Ri-chan?" I asked.

"Where is Daddy?" She asked as she nervously moved into the room.

"I don't know, Ri-chan… I wish I knew…" I paused before smiling. "Why don't you come up here, Kai? You know you're always welcome in here," I said and Kairi scurried over to me and I pulled her up and into my lap.

"You wanna tell me why you're up so late?" I asked.

"I dreamt that I woke up and no one was here anymore…" Kairi's eyes began to water and her chin wobbled as memories of her nightmare came back to her.

I held her close and kissed her head. "It was just a dream, Ri-chan. I'm always going to be here and your daddy is always going to be here," I said.

"But he's not here now…" Kairi said.

"That's because he's working really hard for us," I said trying to convince myself that that was the truth.

"He'll be back tomorrow, right?" Kairi asked.

"Hai. Now, I think that you and I should go to sleep. Something tells me I'm going to have to drop you off at school tomorrow," I said.

"Oyasumi, 'Tou-san," Kairi said in my native language.

I wished her a good night as well before falling asleep with her in my arms.

The next morning, I woke to see Sora and Kairi curled up next to each other on the other side of the bed. I frowned. When did Sora get in last night?

I moved over to him and shook his shoulder gently. "Sora…" I whispered.

Sora groaned softly before turning to look at me. "Hmmm?" he hummed in question before wincing and rubbing at his head.

"When did you get home last night? Kairi and I were worried," I asked.

"I got home at like four… yesterday was really rough so Axel and I went to Leon's house and talked about our woes as we got wasted… my head hurts like hell… and from what I remember… I need to apologize to Leon for throwing up in his sink," Sora groaned again before covering his face from the small amount of sunlight entering the room.

"Sora, you can't do this routinely, it's dangerous. Come home at a decent hour please…" I said worried that Sora might hurt himself by drinking so much all of the time.

"Why are you trying to tell me what to do? I can take care of myself… a-and stop trying to interfere with my work… sometimes I have to do things you won't like but that doesn't mean I have to stop doing them…" Sora grumbled and I scoffed.

"Oh, I'm sorry… I forgot that I'm the only one who actually gives a shit about us and our family," I spat before moving to grab clothes for work.

"That's not fucking true Riku, stop making everything so much bigger than it actually is. I'm just trying to do my job, if I can do that, I can finally get a decent enough pay to provide for my family! So maybe you should stop giving me such a hard fucking time and get over it. It's not like I fucking enjoy kissing other men… I do it because I have to," Sora snapped.

"You don't enjoy kissing any men Sora… you don't even like kissing me," I mumbled as I put my clothes into a duffle bag.

"What? If you're going to say something Riku… say it loud and clear," Sora said.

"You wouldn't fucking care anyway, Sora!" I yelled before moving into the bathroom to take a shower.

I turned on the hot water and took off my clothes before stepping under the scalding showerhead. I slammed my palm against the tile wall before releasing my tears. It wasn't fucking fair! Why did everything have to become so goddamn complicated? Why couldn't I just have this one thing… all I wanted was this family.

I leaned against the tile wall and let myself cry, glad that the sound of the shower would hide my quiet sobs.

A/N: Now here's a chapter that gives you both side of the picture… though I think I was a little more partial to Riku's side so that people can really understand where he's coming from. I hope you liked!

**Maudkipluvr4ever: **Yeah! Totally right! Thanks for the review!

**Excalisnake: **Yep, I was going for surprising people! I'm glad it worked! Thanks so much for the feedback! :D LOVE PANDA!

**Anastaisya: **YEP I HAD TO PUT AT LEAST A LITTLE IN THERE! XD And yes, glasses then to make attractive guys more attractive! (at least in my case…) Thanks!

**Joxas: **Thanks! Here's the chappie!

**Coffemug: **Sorry! I don't mean to make people THAT upset! WOW! I FEEL HONORED! Yeah, they both have their valid points so it's hard to really choose a side. And I'm glad that my story is relatively realistic and believable! :D Thanks so much!

**Angelkit: **YESS! I love it too! In due time everything will fall into place! Hehe! Thanks!

**VeniVediVici: **Cool! I'm glad you have actually taken a side… most people are like, oh well they are both in the wrong and they both have valid points… but yeah, like I said… I'm a little more sympathetic towards Riku on this one too. Thanks!

**Kenshin8923: **Okay good! You probably found one of the series my manga is based off of… I mixed up a bunch of different stories to make my own. They are disappearing? It's because FF is deleting them or something? That's a shame. Thanks for the feedback!

**Muffy: **No, I'm sure they don't (maybe in some circumstances)… but for the sake of the drama of the story, I ad libbed. Thanks so much! Yeah, Kairi is my little ball of sunshiny cuteness!

**The Fallen Angel13: **Thanks so much! :D You got MORE DRAMA!

**INessie: **Hehe! Leon and Sora…. So good… but sorry, they must fight in order to become stronger as a couple!

**Lightmaster: **YEP! Axel needed to be a voice actor! Thanks for the review, buddy!

**Kaoru-chibimaster: **AND I GAVE YOU MORE ANGST! (hands you a cold glass of water to ease the burn) Heheh! Amanda is such a nice name… I have Amanda pride! Thanks!

**Krylancelo: **Yeah, it was bound to happen. Nope, Roxas and Sora are best friends in the manga so they don't have any romance between each other. I don't have a 3DS either so welcome to the club! :D

**TigerRaiken: **Heheh! You never know…. ;D

**Meachristina: **Here you go! :D

**KatzeSchnee: **CHAPTER 21 IS HERE! XD

**Formidable Rain: **Sorry! I don't want to make you madder but the fighting must continue! That's how relationships grow! (well, only if it doesn't rip them apart… BUT I said they would be better eventually!) XD There will be little Akuroku hints here and there… but it's mostly SoraxRiku for once! :D Thanks for the review and NUUUUUU I WANT TO BE FRIENDS FOREVER! ( )

**Lunahalo: **Thanks so much! :D

**Dreamy Duskywing: **HEHE! Sora and Leon make the best voice acting couple ever! And is this you taking Sora's side? I'm trying to tally up who actually feels more for Sora or Riku… so far it's like 1 for Riku, 1 for Sora, and 50 billion for I CAN'T CHOOSE! XD

**DeViLaNgEl11: **Yess, that's because I got over thirty reviews for the last chapter! :D The cliffy hangs on! :D HAHAHAHHAH! Tanks for the review!

**XxRenThyRavenxX: **Another Riku supporter! Riku takes the lead now!

**Dragonrose21: **Thanks again my friend! :D

**Animesaki: **Thanks for the review my lovely friend!

**Cazzylove: **Hehe, yes Leon is very naughty! XD Fighting will continue for a little while longer… and I can't bring myself to hurt Leon! I love him too much! XD Hah! Thanks!

**Sayonara7: **Yes, you have captured the valid points of each side as well as their faults. AH YES, communication, one of the C's Riku mentioned in the earlier chapters that keep a relationship going! XD hehe! Thanks for the review!

**MidnightxMusic: **Awe sorry to make you sad, but we needed some more drama! I hope you bear with me!

**Bookworm4ever81: **WOOO! The score is now Riku 3, Sora 1, 500000000 votes for They're Both Idiots! Thanks for the review!

**Yana5: **:-( - :-)

**RedWords: **Like I said, the drama shall continue for a little while longer! I shall keep you all on your toes! MUAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA!

**PearlsXofXsin: **Hehehe! Naughty Leon! XD AHAHAHHAHAHA! YOU CALLED THEM DOUCHE HATS! Best insult EVER! Thanks for the review!

**Lone DragonWolf of the Flames: **HAHAHAH! Another Sora supporter! I guess there's luxury in having a video game to vent frustrations on! And as much as I love SoraxLeon (if my story Without a Sound is anything to go by) SORIKU SHALL PREVAIL! :D

**Natural Chaos: **Thanks for the review, friend!

**Merrr16: **They will eventually… just wait a little longer! :D

**Guest 1: **ANOTHER SORA VOTE! THE SCORE IS NOW TIED! Thanks for the review my friend!

**PandaLova: **No offese taken! I think this my best work so far as well! :D It's much more dynamic…

**Guest 2: **Thanks so much!

**Guest 3: **THANK YOU! And I agree, not telling the truth is lying… (that's why I'm a compulsive liar!) XD

**AriaxVincent: **Up to chapter 24 is prewritten already so I have everything already played out. Thank you very much for your suggestion though. Believe me, if I didn't have a clue to where this was going, suggestions like yours would be much appreciated… but I don't think this story should have any suicide stuff… that's WAY too dark for this story! Let's keep it at least a little light! :D But still, thanks anyway, I appreciate it!

**CheshyCatGrin: **Thanks so much for the review, I appreciate all of your reviews, even if they're short. You're kinda making me curious about what you do though, it must be good it your helping people! :D Keep up the good work!

**NaruXhinacazy: **Thnaks so much for your review and I'm glad you're back! I don't blame you at all… don't be ashamed, I heard that Dream Drop Distance is really fun! I don't have a 3DS, alas…

**Daota1: **OH MY GOD YALL! SORA TAKES THE LEAD! You have broken the tie! Thanks for the review!

**Alcorion: **Thanks! And I agree, kissing is intimate… I hope you liked the update!


	22. Chapter 22

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own, my friends…

Oh my goodness y'all! I've got 712 reviews right now! I only need 288 more reviews to reach my goal and I know that is possible! I LOVE YOU ALL AND YOUR THE BEST PEOPLE I CLOUD EVER HAVE AS MY FAITHFUL READERS! :D

Chapter 22

I went to work feeling like shit. I had a hangover and I was grouchy from arguing with Riku. When Riku and I fight, he always has this way of making me feel like a total piece of shit…

Why should _I _have to feel bad for trying to do my job? Why does he have to get mad at me when I have done nothing wrong?

I sighed and reported to Vinnie's office like I did every morning. "What's on the agenda for today?" I asked.

"Didn't I tell you that you need to be careful while drinking? You knew you had work today… you look like shit," Vincent said and I nodded.

"Yeah… It wouldn't be half as bad if I hadn't gotten into a fight with my boyfriend this morning…" I said.

Vincent sent me a look that said, 'deal with it,' and shooed me off to record some more.

I sighed and headed towards the third floor. I watched my feet as they took their steps forward while I rubbed my temples. Then suddenly I collided with a hard surface. I fell to the floor with a thud and groaned at the jostling of my head.

"Ugh… sorry…" I said as I stood. I looked up to see a big muscular guy looking down at me with a smug look.

"Watch were you're going, pipsqueak," The guy said and left.

I huffed. "Sorry we can't all be walking brick walls, pal!" I snapped angrily before moving to the third floor for the recording.

"Hey Sora, we're going to shoot the restaurant scene and the one before it," Roxas said and I nodded.

"Are you okay, dude?" Roxas asked and I nodded again.

"Yeah… just hungover. I got this though! I ran into a brick wall and it knocked some sense back into me," I said.

"Alright then! Let's go!" Roxas said excitedly.

It was easy to record scenes with Roxas. He was bubbly and fun to be around on and off mike.

I loved this scene because this is the first time Roxas' character Eiji hears about my childhood friend Akihito… who he later falls in love with.

I loved it, even through his voice, you could tell that something was going to bloom. It was like a curious interest that was so subtle yet so clear. It was a really nice touch to his character.

When that scene was done I waited for all of those involved in the restaurant scene. Roxas pulled me over and I looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Is there something wrong?" I asked.

"Yeah, apparently there is. I was talking to one of the female actors that had worked with the guy that's in this restaurant scene. As it turns out, he's really good at playing brute-like characters because he is one. Just be careful about it," Roxas said.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"He's over there," Roxas said and gestured with his eyes. I followed his gaze and frowned.

"That's the brick wall I ran into this morning…" I grumbled.

Roxas paused to register what I said before laughing. "I guess he does kind of look like a brick wall…" Roxas added.

"Yeah, he called me a pipsqueak… he's like a kindergarten bully… a _really _big one," I said with a smile and Roxas continued to laugh.

"Well, good luck with that, my friend. Something tells me he's going to give you a hard time," Roxas added.

"He better not, I have enough shit I gotta deal with… I ain't dealing with his too! This is 81 Produce not the fucking playground," I said and Roxas patted my shoulder.

"Okay, sparky… do get too riled up!" Roxas said with a laugh.

"I got this…" I said for a second time and moved to the recording room.

"Alright so this is the restaurant scene. Is everyone ready to go?" The recorder asked and I looked around.

It seemed like everyone was accounted for. "Yeah, I think we're good," I said.

"Alright starting in 5, 4, 3, 2…" The recoding button went on and I assumed my character.

"We need two chicken cacciatores and a asparagus linguini," One of the waiters said and I smiled.

"Gotcha… I have a fettuccini and stuffed portobello ready for table six. Someone get me a fresh block of parmesan cheese and whoever was dealing with the chicken please move faster!" I called over the sound of ambient voices from the restaurant.

"I don't want to go to table six… that pig and his grabby hands are just too much. You cover for me Asahi!" One of the waitresses said to another waiter.

"No, I got my hands full with three other tables. I'm sure it's not that bad," Asahi said and the waitress groaned.

"This food needs to get to table six!" I raised my voice impatiently. I didn't like any sort of lagging at my restaurant.

There's a moment where the sounds of cooking and working take over the scene, but it is suddenly interrupted by a yelp.

"What is going on out there!" I yell and Yuri, another waitress runs up to me.

"The guy from table six is harassing Minami. He won't leave her alone!" Yuri said in a frightened voice. I looked at the actress next to me and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Tell Yahiko that he needs to cover for me. I'll see if I can take care of this," I said looking at the actress playing Yuri as if she were really her character.

The actress smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir!" She said.

I looked over to the next mike and my jaw dropped. Brick wall guy was really holding the actresses arms down and feeling her up. How dare he just invade someone's personal space like that?

He didn't need to do that! They didn't need any sort of special sound effect for this scene. I walked over to him and pulled the actress from his grip, which was really hard by the way. The actress sent me a grateful look before I began my lines.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to refrain from harassing our employees. If you can't do this I'm going to have to ask you to leave the premises," I said, my voice containing a small bite.

"I heard that this restaurant had the best service in the city… apparently that was false advertising. Besides, that bitch was asking for it, she spilled drink on me!" the man said in a deep bear of a voice.

"Well you have my sincerest apologies for my waitress' mistake. You may eat your meal free of charge as compensation for her carelessness," I said.

"No, I don't want that! I think…" I almost yelped when he grabbed me suddenly. His hand was groping my ass. I growled and pushed him off of me.

"Cut…" The recorder pulled off his earphones and looked at us. "What's the problem… why did you stop?" he asked.

"Look _buddy, _I don't care if you're trying to get in character. You will _not _touch me like that," I barked angrily at the burly man.

He bellowed with laughter. "You're two hundred pounds too small to be barking orders at me, short-stack," He said.

"What the fuck are you on, dude? Excuse the rest of the world for being normal sized. You don't fucking scare me, douche!" I growled and turned to the recorder.

"Sorry about that, you think we can start from his line?" I asked.

"That'll work. Counting off…" he counted down and queued us to begin.

"No, I don't want that! I think… _you_ need to be my compensation," The gruff actor said and he suddenly yanked me over to him. I yelped in surprise but frowned when I realized that that is exactly what I was supposed to do in the script.

"Get the fuck off me!" I yelled completely serious even though it was my line. I pushed at his chest to get free but he gripped me tighter.

"No, you have yourself a dissatisfied customer. It's your job to make sure I leave feeling the opposite," He growled in my ear and I gasped when he tongued my ear.

"Stop it you fucking bastard! Get off!" I yelled and yelped again when his hand grabbed between my legs.

I had had enough. I wound my arm back and rammed it as hard as I could into his fat face. He let go and grunted. I smiled knowing that that was also part of the script.

"Why you little-" He started and then Leon spoke.

"I think it's time for you to leave, sir," He said his line calmly and I smirked when I knew there was nothing the guy could do to me now while we were recording.

When the scene was over the man lunged for me and I was too slow to escape. "You fucking dick! You thought you could get away with punching me? Come here you little prick!" He grabbed my shirt and I growled.

"Keep your dirty fucking hands to yourself!" I spat in his face.

The man threw me to the ground and punched me in the side before groping me and trying to stick his fat hands in my pants. I yelled and kicked and one of his arms moved to hold me down.

"GET OFF!" I yelled, finally frightened by my defenseless position on the floor, his hand finally pulling open my pants and grabbing me harshly.

It took Leon, Axel, Roxas, and the two recorders to finally pull the monster off of me. I stood quickly and fixed my pants before kicking the guy in the face. "_Don't you ever fucking touch me like that again!" _I screamed at the disgusting man, tears coming to my eyes as I left the recoding room.

I bumped right into Vincent and jumped at our contact.

"What the fuck is going on? I got a call to my office saying there was a fight in the studio!" Vincent raged.

"V-Vincent… I-I… Oh God, I'm so sorry!" I sobbed before covering my face in shame, my form trembling from shock.

"I'll ask again, what the fuck is going on?" Vincent asked and I sighed in relief when I realized he was asking someone else.

"Vincent, Pete was totally out of control! He was harassing Alice and Sora during the recording and attacked Sora when it was over!" I heard Roxas answer.

"What?" Vincent seemed to be having trouble understanding the situation.

"Sir, we have an excellent recording and there was no damage to the equipment in the recording room… I don't think Sora should be punished for what happened. Pete was totally out of line," Leon said.

"Okay… it's good that nothing about the show is in jeopardy… but that's not what I'm concerned about. Why is Sora currently a shaking mess?" Vincent asked.

Axel and Leon moved on to explain the whole incident. I just stood and tried to keep myself together. Roxas came over to me and pulled me into a hug. I flinched before I held onto him, desperately trying to remain calm.

"He's fired. I don't care if he's been working here for five years, there's no way I'm excusing his behavior towards my actors. I'm going to have to talk to Cid about his employment choices… It's a good thing the recording went well because now I can fire him without having to worry about a replacement. This disgusts me, sexual assault… in _my own_ studio!" Valentine fumed as he moved towards the lounge.

Pete and three other guys were crowded around him. Vincent walked right up to Pete and spoke. "You are fired… I want you out of this building in an hour…" he said before turning swiftly before moving back out to the hallway where I was still trying to keep it together.

"I am so sorry this happened today, Sora. Take the rest of the day off and tomorrow if you think don't think you're up for the interview, give me a call," Vincent said and I looked at him. I had never seen him look so concerned before. You couldn't deny that he really did care about his actors at the studio.

"Thank you, Vincent," I said quickly so that I wouldn't completely break into hysterical sobs.

"Let me drive you home, Sora," Roxas said and I nodded.

"I have to pick up my daughter from school," I said and Roxas nodded.

"We can do that too. I've been dying to meet this daughter of yours," Roxas said with a smile.

I took a deep breath and said goodbye to the others before leaving. I was sitting in the passenger's seat of my car as I gave Roxas directions to my daughter's school. When we got there I felt part of my shaken heart calm at the idea of seeing my daughter.

"Wait here," I said and got out of the car. I entered the school building and when I spotted Kairi swinging on the swing set I called out to her. She slowed her swinging and waved to her friends before running over to me. I scooped her up and held her tightly.

"Hey, Daddy! I didn't know you were gonna pick me up today! Riku said that you were working really hard for us and that I wouldn't be able to see you all of the time anymore," Kairi said and I bit my lip.

Riku said that? He always made it seem like he was disgusted with my work. In fact he made it seem as though my hard work was really just acting like a slut in front of a mike.

"Well, I'm here today! And I brought one my friends too, he really wants to meet you," I said starting to feel better already knowing that my daughter was near.

"Really! I wanna see!" Kairi exclaimed and I laughed.

I walked her over to the car and Roxas got out to meet me. "Oh my God Sora, she is the most beautiful child I have ever seen!" Roxas said looking at my daughter.

Kairi blushed and hid her face in my neck. I chuckled. "Kairi what do we say when someone pays you a complement?" I asked.

"T-thank you…" she said quietly and Roxas laughed.

"Hi, Kairi. I'm Roxas, how are you?" Roxas asked in a gentle voice.

"I'm fine… are you a TV voice too?" Kairi asked.

"Do you watch the show Kids on the Block?" Roxas asked and I smiled when Kairi lit up.

"Yeah! Dean is my favorite!" Kairi exclaimed.

Roxas actually blushed. "That's me! I'm the voice for Dean!" Roxas replied excitedly.

"Really?" Kairi asked incredulously.

"Yeah! It's a piece of cake!" Roxas said Dean's favorite line in the show. Kairi squealed happily and reached over to Roxas.

"You just won yourself a groupie," I said before handing Kairi over to Roxas who took her gladly.

"Yes!" Roxas said and we moved to the car.

"Is Roxas going to come to our house?" Kairi asked.

"Well, it's the least I can do after all he's done for me today. I was attacked by a monster today and Roxas helped me escape," I said.

Kairi put her hand on my shoulder and I looked at her to see her gaze boring right into me. "Are you okay, Daddy?" she asked.

"Yeah, baby, I'm okay. I just want to go home and hang with you and Roxas for a bit. Roxas has to go back to work soon," I said.

"Oh, okay… But I want to show him the picture I drew of his character!" Kairi said.

I laughed. "Roxas, when I say she is in love with that show… I didn't think her obsessive phase would kick in 'till she made double digits," I said.

"Well, I'm only glad I could pull her into the voice acting fan club. Kairi, you are officially my number one fan," Roxas said and Kairi giggled.

"Yay! Does that mean we can be friends too?" she asked.

"Of course, Kairi! You and I both look after your dad so we have to be on the same team," Roxas said.

"You kinda look like Daddy…" she said and I looked over at Roxas before laughing.

I pulled into the driveway and stopped the car.

"Whoa, Sora I thought you said you were poor!" Roxas said.

"This is my boyfriend's house… I'm living with him. He's a doctor," I explained.

"Wow… I wish you could have told me about this earlier. You didn't tell me that you had a whole little family going on!" Roxas said.

"I didn't think it really mattered in a work setting," I said before we entered the house.

"Damn… you're boyfriend must be one hell of a doctor," Roxas said.

"Language, Rox." I reminded and Roxas blushed.

"Pretend you didn't hear that, okay Kairi?" he asked.

Kairi giggled and nodded before directing Roxas towards her bedroom.

Having Roxas at the house was surprisingly calming for me. I felt as though if he had left after dropping Kairi and I off, I would have broke down from the stress of the day. I was so tired of fighting...

After about twenty minutes, I explained to Kairi that Roxas had to go back to work. Roxas laughed when Kairi whined in displeasure.

"Don't worry Kairi, I'll be back. You're too cute to not visit. And plus, you're my number one fan remember?" Roxas said and Kairi nodded with a smile.

"Pinky promise?" she asked.

I watched as the linked pinkies and giggled at each other. They were cute.

I walked Roxas to the door and sighed. "Thank you Roxas, you really saved my ass today," I said.

"Sora, I can tell that you've been having a hard time... I know that you have a boyfriend that you can confide in, but if you ever need to talk to someone that isn't him, you know I'm around... Just give me a call," Roxas said.

I pulled him into a hug, "Thank you so much, Roxas... I know you probably don't need this right now but I've been so stressed with work and then fighting with my boyfriend... I don't know what to do anymore... He gets so jealous because I have to kiss other people for work," I vented, and it just felt so good to take the weight off my shoulders for once.

"You need to talk to him... Really talk to him. Give him a chance to explain how he feels and when you feel you have completely understood his standpoint, you can calmly work it all out... If you don't you both will get on the defensive and all you'll do is argue," Roxas explained.

I nodded. Before I smiled at him.

"Blah!" We shouted together.

"Chicken salad!" We shouted again.

The third time I said "skiing" while he said "skating."

"D'awww!" I groaned before before Roxas finally left. He and I were trying to break a record for how well our brains sync. The farthest we've gotten was ten words.

I sighed and closed the door before moving over to Kairi's room. "Kairi-cat, I'm going to take a nap. Do you think you can be a big girl and stay up by yourself?" I asked.

"Daddy?" she started in a timid voice and I moved to sit next to her on the floor.

"What, baby?" I asked.

"Do you get sad before you go to sleep?" she asked, her voice smoothly leaving her mouth with a slight quiver at the end.

"No, not particularly... Do you?" I asked gently, concerned about where this conversation was going.

"Sometimes..." she voice cracked a little and she wiped a silent tear from her cheek.

My heart clenched at the sorrow that enveloped her entire form. I pulled her into my lap. "Were you sad recently, Kai?" I asked and she nodded slowly.

"Why?" I asked and ran a hand through her hair in an attempt to sooth her anxiety.

"...I was sad because I hear Riku cry before he goes to sleep... Yesterday I came into the bedroom and he was crying, he was still sad even after I hugged him..." Kairi explained in a helpless voice.

I frowned at her answer before pulling her close. I knew Riku, he was an incredibly strong person... He wouldn't just cry because he was feeling lonely...

Maybe I was in the wrong... Maybe I wasn't being very considerate to him...

When I thought about our past arguments, I guess I could see where he was coming from, which only made me see that I was being a bit of a dick to him...

But I still don't feel as though he's learned to understand my position. He automatically makes me the bad guy and blocks me out before I can give an acceptable explanation.

I played with Kairi to cheer her up before heading to the bedroom to take a nap. I was really tired from all the commotion of the day. I just wanted to sleep.

A/N: Just wanted to add one more thing to the chaos that going on in Sora's life… but at least Sora's thinking about his behavior a little more.

**Angelkit: **Yes, one of the three will happen… actually now that I think about it… all three of them happen in that exact order…

**Joxas: **Yes, but when does Sora ever choose the easy way? Thanks for the review!

**Soriku'sHikari: **Don't worry it will work out.

**VeniVediVici: **He's not neglecting her… but he wasn't thinking about the repercussions of his actions… Things will work out soon, don't worry.

**Lightmaster: **You were kinda close… but no bodies really admitted to any mistakes yet… but things will get better soon.

**Daota1: **Thanks and I hope you liked this update.

**Kenshin8923: **I agree with you on that, Sora wouldn't ever forget his family, he just doesn't understand that by hiding his problems he's putting a dent in his relationship with his family members.

**MidnightxMusic:** Hahaha, that's fine! :D

**The Fallen Angel13: **Yeah, you get to see a little bit more of Riku's softer, more vulnerable side. Thanks!

**Ldrmas:** But see the thing is… it's not all on Riku either… even if he did want to sit down and listen to Sora… Sora still doesn't have the guts to tell Riku that he's afraid and confused. So the root of the problem truly lies with Sora and his inability to share his insecurities…

**INessie: **Yes, Riku's like a freshly baked cookie… at first, there's the crunchy outer layer that's a bit guarded and aggressive, but once you get past that, there's the soft chewy center where he's really just a ball of sensitivity and slightly low-self-esteem. Sounds delicious! XD Thanks!

**TigerRaiken: **Hehehe, yeah, Sora's a little clueless but that's because he's chickenshit when it comes to feelings and relationships. Vincent's not the kind of character to flirt with his employees… he's too professional and he cares too much about his actors and their performances to shake them up like that… though I do see where you're coming from… XD

**Muffy: **Sora's just unsure about how to handle his problems… But things are moving because Kairi's extremely perceptive and she's picking on all of the tension. We reach the climax of the issue next chapter.

**Animedprincess: **This update wasn't so quick… sorry about that… the argument is moving a bit and the high point is next chapter so lets see how this goes.

**XxRenThyRavenxX: **That's true and Riku doesn't understand Sora's point of view… it may seem fucked up but on Sora's end, those kisses aren't even real kisses, they don't mean anything and that's why he doesn't feel remorseful. But Sora will understand soon…

**Alcorion: **Yeah, Sora's and Riku's relationship is going to get a reality check soon… things will work out.

**Izzyred: **hahaha! Don't worry, we're getting somewhere.

**Guest 1: **Thanks so much! I'm glad you like it! And YES for reading this during work! REBEL!

**Sayonara7: **Yep… that was pretty Derp-ish of him… Yes, you are correct and things will reach a climax next chapter!

**The Fuzzy Ficus: **Heheh! Yes! The Cleon needs a bit more time and thought… it will be in the story… just not very soon. And I don't know… I like Vincent as the lone wolf and I really just want to really focus on Sora and Riku's relationship for once… all my other stories have multiple relationship arcs that it get's difficult to keep up… so I'm going to stick with this one pairing and the Cleon will be present but not prominent. You can be Vincent's secret lover.

**Anastaisya: **You are so right about Cantabile… I have my idea planned out and everything… I just have to put it on the pages correctly… XD Thanks for the review!

**Animesaki: **I agree, but don't worry, things are gonna work out soon.

**Dreamy Duskywing: **You're perspective on all of this is almost identical to mine. You seem to understand all the subtleties that make each character just a little more scared and a little more insecure… and that's why they can't seem to get anywhere… but eventually it will all come to an end…

**Cazzylove: **Thanks Cazzy! Next chapter's the climax of the argument.

**Kaoru-chibimaster: **haha! You're going to be boiling for one more chapter after this one and then all will be swell… so hold out just a bit longer. (hands you a large bag of ice)

**Anna Crosszeria: **Hahaha… Sora is a baka… but he'll see the truth soon.

**Lunahalo: **One more chapter of pure torture and then all will be better.

**AzaryaTsuki: **Thank you my friend. Now, Sora's emotional honesty in this case is usually only directed towards Kairi and his mother… they are the only constant things he's had for years… even though he feels for Riku, he's still rather unsure with how to proceed. On Riku's end, he doesn't want to lose what he has with Sora and Kairi so he's going out on a limb by trying to talk to Sora… however, they are both too scared to really push the real issues for fear of destroying what they have… and that's why their arguments only scratch the surface and only seem to agitate the problem more… they're both afraid that if they share what they really believe, they'll get hurt in the end… I hope that explains the explosiveness of the arguments that never seem to go anywhere…

**RedWords: **No, it's a nice change of pace, right?

**PearlsXofXsin: **Maybe if I can bring myself to get a move on with my other storyes… -.-" And I should really think of a name for my car… he's red so it his name has to have a lot of spunk! xD And Leon's pov may happen at some point, I'm not sure… don't worry about the drama though… it's reaching it end soon.

**MakingMelody:** Yes! That's what I like to hear! Put your trust in me and you shall be rewarded! :D

**Guest 2: **Yeah, it's all pretty hectic and crazy, but it will work out very soon!

**Formidable Rain: **The focus will change after the argument is over and all is well… so don't worry… And yeah, there will be hints here and there of Akuroku. Thanks!

**Yana5: **Yeah, and now we have a bit of 'poor Sora.' And 'poor Kairi.' But things will be better soon.

**KatzeSchnee: **One more chapter of tension and all will be better.

**Mudkipluvr4ever: **They will don't worry! Yep… they are too caught up in their own anger that they forget about what's really important.

**CheshyCatGrin: **That's cool! My mom works in administration at a school so I know that that's a whole lot of hard work. I hope that you like this chapter and that your future is filled with less boredom.

**Lady Rabenschwarz: **Yes, why? The torture continues for one more chapter and then it gets better.

**CreepshowCarnival: **Sorry! That's where I wanted to end the chapter… more drama for this chapter and the next, and then it's all going to work out! :D

**Cj Quinn: **One more chapter and then it will all be fixed.

**DeViLaNgEl11: **Hehe! Yeah, things will work out!

**Mochiusagi: **Yes, very dramatic! But things will be okay soon!

**Natural Chaos: **Hahaha! Best comment ever…

**TayTayXD: **Hahah! Yes you are correct! Thanks a lot my friend!

**Your Forever Fan: **Dude, your mom's guy friend is a butthead… that is just rude to look through someone else's tablet! That's just straight up invasion of privacy… I have privacy issues… people always they can share other people's business! THAT"S NOT COOL! AND OH GOD! Now how do you think I feel knowing that I'M the one who WROTE it! AHHHHH DX! I don't even want to THINK about my parents finding out… I think I would rather saw my own fingers off… and I have a really stupid dick of a sister who always needs to mention my fanfiction in front of my parents/family members... she'll be like… "Oh! Amanda writes really popular stories on the internet!" (she hasn't even read them, I won't let her) and my dad always gives me this weird look as if he knows already that he's not going to like it! God, and my aunts are always WAY to fucking nosey for their own good! I just really wish they would clam the fuck down! GOD! Okay… I'm okay now… (sighs)… anyway… thanks for the review… man, the life of a yaoi fanfiction writer, it's a tricky one… Wow, I really vented on you! Sorry about that! XD

**AriaxVincent: **Hehehe! I love Vincent too! Ahha! Sora loses!

**Tarouchoo: **Aww! Sorry! Thanks for the review!

**Coffemug957: **Wow, I'm on a roll I guess! Thanks for the review!

**Merrr16: **Yes that is true, thanks!

**Naruxhinacrazy: **Yeah, Riku needed some real substance so I gave it too him! YES! I'm so happy you noticed almost all my other stories have plot holes because I'm too lazy to tie up every lose end I created! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY! :D

**Lastbloom: **HAHAH! Thanks for the review!

**Coopcake: **Awww it's okay… at least you tried! I LOVE YOU TOO! And thanks for your gift even though I don't have a 3DS so I can't play the new game… but I shall live vicariously through all my fans… :)

**Krylancelo: **YAY! Thanks!

**OMGBloodyHellFire: **Thanks! And thanks for understanding about Riku… I hope you liked the chapter!


	23. Chapter 23

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own.

Guys, I'm really sorry that this update is so late and I don't have replies to your reviews. I read them all and they make me so happy but I just didn't have the time to reply to them. Recently, my sister got injured and I have been more concerned about her health than anything else. I've been really focused on keeping an eye on her and helping her move because of her injury. So I'm really sorry I have no replies. Next chapter will have them hopefully because my sister is showing signs of getting better. :D And this is a longer chapter so I hope that slightly makes up for it. :)

Chapter 23

I was feeling much better after a few hours of sleep. I was currently lounging in my bed resting my eyes and relaxing. It felt so good.

I was about to drift back into sleep when I heard the door open. I stiffened slightly but remained still with my eyes closed as Riku moved about the room.

I heard the rustling of clothes and other quiet noises before Riku moved into the bed. Having him lying next to me, just beside me without an embrace, was relaxing and I found myself drifting off again.

Then his arm went around me and he pulled me close. I whined slightly before wiggling slowly from his grip.

He pulled me close again.

I groaned before mumbling for him to stop. He ignored my protest and held me tighter.

"Riku, stop," I said seriously and tried to push him away.

"No..." he said simply and I flinched when he climbed over me and began to attack me with harsh kisses.

"Get off me!" I yelped and fought against him. He grabbed my wrists tightly with one hand, disabling the use of my hands.

Suddenly, images from earlier that day came to the surface. I began to kick and fight as hard as I could. "Stop! Stop it!" I yelled loudly, tears filling my eyes and threatening to spill over.

Riku's free hand moved form its spot under my shirt to the inside of my pants.

I freaked at that moment. With a sudden surge of fear and adrenaline, I pushed Riku off of me and into the floor with a crash. Once he was off I struggled to fix my rumpled clothes. My body was trembling madly and I could barely get my voice to work.

"I don't fucking get you, Sora! Why wont you fucking let me touch you anymore? What did I fucking do?" Riku yelled and I glared at him with rage in my heart.

"You told me we would take baby steps! You fucking liar!" I cried.

Riku stood and moved in front of me. I flinched. "You promised that we would get somewhere, Sora! You haven't let our relationship develop at all since then!" Riku bellowed.

"What? Are you kidding me Riku? Its only been two months and I'm already living with you aren't I? That is progress Riku!" I shouted in retort.

"Bullshit, Sora! The only reason you're living with me is because you didn't want to go back to your mom's house and it was better here for Kairi. You didn't do it because you wanted to stay with me!" Riku argued.

"That doesn't even matter at this point! Y-you still promised that you wouldn't push me! You promised that you wouldn't force me to do anything I wasn't ready to do!" I screamed my eyes pouring tears at the flashes of memory that came to my head from earlier today.

"YOU SAID YOU LOVED ME SORA!" Riku screamed back and I jumped at the force of it.

"You said it too!" I screeched.

"YEAH, I DID AND I FUCKING MEANT IT TOO! UNLIKE YOU!" Riku cried before starting again. "What kind of fucked up joke is that? You tell me you love me and then you do nothing to prove it... in fact you just sever my ties with you. If you didn't love me, you shouldn't have said it. If you had doubts about whether or not you could grow to love me, you should have just turned me down!" Riku yelled.

"Riku! Of course I had fucking doubts about our relationship! Two months ago, in case you forgot, I was straight! And besides that I've been a single father for almost six years! If you were a girl, I'd still have doubts about our relationship! You're not being patient and I needed you to be! Instead you just attack me when all I wanted was to sleep away all the shit I've had to deal with today... I didn't need another person trying to fuck me in the places where I thought I was safest! I can't fucking deal with this right now," I hissed before swiping the tears from my face and grabbing my wallet and keys. I moved through the door and Riku followed behind me.

"Well, when are you going to fucking deal with it, Sora? You can't run away from every damn thing you start just because it gets too hard, you two faced coward!" Riku shouted and I turned to throw an insult at him when I heard a loud cry.

I looked behind Riku to see Kairi screaming cries of distress, tears violently streaming from her face.

"Kairi..." I took a step towards her and she ran into me, her fists punching me in the legs as hard as she could.

"Kairi!" I said in surprise at her violence towards me.

"I hate you! You're going to make Riku leave like Mommy did! I hate you! I hate you!" Kairi screamed before she ripped herself from my hold on her and fell to the floor with hysterical sobs.

I felt my heart crumble to pieces at her words. I walked over to her to try and hold her but as soon as I touched her she would struggle from my grip.

"Kairi... come on, shhhh," Riku said quietly before scooping her up off the floor and holding her.

The crumbles of my broken heart shattered to pieces at the sheer rejection by my daughter. I took a breath before continuing towards the front door. I got into my car and drove away from the house.

- Hello, Doctor -

Riku's POV

Even I was surprised by Kairi's reaction to Sora. I didn't want her to feel like she had to pick sides. The wave of hatred directed towards myself crashed into me. I can't believe I had gotten so carried away in my fight with Sora that I forgot that Kairi could hear everything.

"I'm so sorry, Kairi..." I whispered into her ear as I continued to rock her from side to side. Kairi's hands gripped my shoulders tightly as she cried into my neck. Her sorrow broke my heart and I found myself holding her tightly just to keep calm.

"I don't care if he says he was attacked by a monster! I wont let him make you leave, Otou-san," Kairi said.

"You know you're father wouldn't be attacked by monsters around here," I said and placed a kiss on her head.

"He already said he was. He came home early with our friend Roxas and he said that he was attacked by a monster," Kairi's voice wobbled before she sniffled.

I moved over to the couch and sat down. I placed Kairi in my lap and looked at her. Her words didn't really make any since but the way she looked at me made me believe that maybe she wasn't making up nonsense. "Was your daddy okay when he got home?" I asked.

Kairi wiped her eyes and looked at me. "He looked really tired and he held me tighter than normal..." she said before taking a deep breath.

Sora must have been stressed. I paused when I suddenly remembered what Sora had screamed at me earlier.

_"I didn't need another person trying to fuck me in the places where I thought I was safest! I can't fucking deal with this right now."_

Did someone try something on him?

I felt rage flow through me at the thought of someone touching Sora and dirtying him with rancid hands. Only I could have the privilege of making Sora mine... if only he'd fucking let me. But the point is no one is supposed to be harassing him besides me!

Why was it that I just couldn't hate him or even dislike him? Eventually, all of his bad shit becomes good shit... it's a pain in the ass!

I sighed and kissed Kairi's cheek. "I want Sora to come back now... I don't care about the other stuff anymore... I just want him let me hold him," I mumbled into Kairi's hair.

Kairi sat quietly and I looked at her. "Are you hungry, Kairi?" I asked.

She shook her head and sighed. "I just don't want you to fight with Daddy anymore…" she said and I nodded.

"If I promise not to fight with him, you have to forgive your dad, okay? You know he only wants you to be happy… he just forgets sometimes that he needs to face his own problems… instead of trying to chase away yours," I explained.

"He's going to come back, right?" Kairi asked, sadness suddenly infesting her body again. "I-I didn't mean it when I said I hated him! I w-was mad… I didn't mean it, I promise! I d-don't hate him!" Kairi began to cry again and I held her tightly again.

"I think it's time for a nap, for the both of us," I said and Kairi just continued to cry softly into my neck.

I moved to my bedroom and plopped onto the bed. I leaned against the headboard and held Kairi close before we fell asleep.

-Hello, Doctor-

Sora's POV

I couldn't even remember the drive to my mother's house. I just remember parking my car in the front of it. I ran to the door and rang the doorbell.

My mother opened the door with a smile. "Sora I haven't seen you in a while! Where's Kairi?" She asked before her smile faded and she looked at me seriously.

"What happened?" She asked and I threw myself at her. I held onto her as tightly as I could before breaking into hysterical sobs. There was no more holding back the feelings I was experiencing at that moment. Out of all of the crazy things that happened to me today, Kairi's words are what scared me the most.

Kairi was right… and Riku was right.

I was chasing away the people I loved most. And at the same time, I was running away from all of my problems.

I couldn't blame Riku for loving me… it just wasn't fair… and I couldn't just scream at him when in truth I just need to talk to him about my fear and confusion.

I was a coward… and as much as I hated being one, I was too afraid to change.

My mother tried to get me to talk but the only things that would come from my mouth were sobs. My mother just held me close and spoke calming words in my ears until I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I was on the couch and I could hear my phone ringing quietly.

I sat up and pulled my phone from my pocket.

I had nine missed calls from Roxas. I opened my phone and spoke. "Hello?" I said groggily.

"SORA! God! I've been trying to get a hold of you for the past hour. I'm guessing you aren't coming into work today…" Roxas sighed, "I was really looking forward to our first interview together," Roxas said.

My eyes widened when I saw the time. I put the phone back to my ear. "I'm not missing this interview," I said seriously as I ran down the hall to my old bedroom. I grabbed a shirt and a pair of jeans and began to throw them on.

"Oh… well is there any reason why you are two hours late? Vincent wants to know…" Roxas said.

I sighed. "I had another fight with Riku… Kairi heard us and I just… yesterday was so horrible…" I said tearing up at all the shit that happened yesterday.

"Well, keep it together and come to work. We can talk about it later if you want," Roxas said.

"Yeah, thanks. I'll be there in twenty. When does the interview start?" I asked.

"In a half an hour…" Roxas answered and I nodded.

"I'll be there!" I said and hung up the phone before pulling on a shirt. I put my phone in my pocket and moved to brush my teeth.

"Sora? What are you doing?" My mother asked with a yawn.

"I'm going to work," I said before beginning to brush.

"After yesterday? I don't think so, not until you tell me what happened," My mother said in a firm voice.

I spat out the froth from the toothpaste and rinsed my mouth. "Momma, I love you to death, and I really needed your support yesterday, which you gave. But right now, I can't waste anymore time here. I have to go," I said and kissed Jane on the head before heading towards the door.

"Sometimes, I wonder how you've become so resilient… it's not from me, and your father didn't bounce back half as well as you do," Mother said with a smile.

"Maybe it's from having a mother who wouldn't let me brood," I said with a chuckle and walked out the door.

I reached 81 Produce in ten minutes. I moved to Vincent's office where he and Xigbar were waiting.

"You need to have for face fixed," Valentine said dryly and I sat in the chair.

"Okay… but I thought you said this was a radio interview," I said.

"It is, but it's also going into a magazine. The four of you are going to take a picture together to go with the interview in the magazine," Vincent explained.

"Oh… okay," I said and yelped when Xigbar grabbed my face and told me to keep still.

"Are you going to be alright?" I looked to my agent, seeing concern on his face was so rare… almost scary.

"Yes… I'm going to be okay," I said and when Xigbar was finished Vincent walked me to the floor where the interview would take place.

"Sora!" Roxas said and I smiled when he pulled me into a hug. "I'm glad you made it!" he finished.

I returned the smile and hug before sighing. "I wasn't going to miss it. I mean, what could be a better first interview? I have the three of you with me," I said and Axel smiled.

"We're going to do great," Axel put his hand on my shoulder. I looked over to Leon. "Hey, are you ready?" I asked.

He nodded before looking behind me. I turned to see a man in a suit. "Hello there," I said.

"Hello, I'm Brian. I'm from New Generation Studios and I'm going to be giving the interview today. You are… Sora?" He asked.

"Yes, I am," I said and shook his hand.

"I've already met Leon, Axel and Roxas before. I'm happy to see you all again," Brian smiled at them.

"It's a pleasure. I'm really excited for this interview," Axel said.

"I am as well. I've been dying to hear about the first ever English dubbed yaoi anime. It's really a turning point in history," Brian said.

"Certainly! I'm so glad I can be a part of it!" Roxas said.

"Well, why don't we go ahead and get started? It seems the recorders are ready to go and the mike is already set." Brian pointed and we nodded.

We all sat down. The four of us sat on the sofa and Brian sat in a chair opposite of us.

"Hello, this is Brian from New Generation Studios on channel 94.7. Today, I'm here with the four stars of America's first ever yaoi anime dubbed in English. Does anyone want to share with our listeners the basic plot line of the anime?" Brian started and everyone looked at me.

"I guess I will… I'm Sora Smith and I play Satoshi… Satoshi is a single father who works as a chef at a restaurant owned by his childhood friend… In the first season of the anime, you learn about Satoshi's high school experience. He was a nice guy, not very popular but he was friendly with everyone… except for the quiet and moody Ryuichi Shindou, played by my friend Leon, who wouldn't give him the time of day. Oddly enough, fifteen years later, they meet at a daycare center. Ryuichi is dropping off Hika-chan, while Satoshi is dropping off his son, Akira. Akira and Hika are best friends… so soon Ryu and Satoshi are thrown together. This time, Ryuichi is surprisingly nice to Satoshi, which throws him off. Satoshi only changes his mind about Ryu when he saves Satoshi from a difficult customer at the restaurant. Their relationship begins to grow and Satoshi is conflicted with his old love of his late wife, and his odd relationship with his childhood friend Akihito. Akihito is played by Axel and I must say, he does it very well!" I said.

"Why thank you, Sora!" Axel said. I laughed.

"You're welcome! Anyway, Akihito made a promise with Satoshi's wife that he would take care of Satoshi and Akira while she was gone. Akihito, feels obligated to watch over Satoshi and Akira and comfort them when they are hurting… which brings me to the big problem… While Satoshi was still worked up over the death of his wife, Akihito comforts Satoshi in the most physical way possible… this stirs up feelings in Akihito's heart for Satoshi, thus making a love triangle of sorts between Ryu, Akihito, and Satoshi," I explained.

"The second season focuses on Eiji who is a teacher at the daycare center. It revolves around how he falls in love with Akihito after he loses his love battle with Ryuichi," Roxas explained.

"Roxas you're making me seem really long winded!" I whined and Roxas laughed.

"Don't mind him, listeners! He's just a newbie!" Axel said and I huffed.

"And a good one too!" I said.

"So, Sora… as the new comer to 81 Produce, how does it feel to be surrounded by veteran voice actors?" Brian asked.

"Well… let me think of a short answer for this… to be honest, it's terrifying and inspiring at the same time… but then again, working with them makes voice acting all the more fun to do," I said.

"That's good. How do you guys feel about having someone like Sora in the recording room with you?" Brian asked.

"You know, there's something different about Sora… yes, he's a rookie… but he's a real professional in that he's not afraid to dive right in and give it his all. And when there's a problem, he tries his hardest to fix it, and he does. Not many newcomers have the ability," Leon said.

"I agree. Sora… well, he's an extremely accepting person. He just takes what you give him no matter what it is, and he works with it. No matter how uncomfortable it might make him," Axel continues.

I found myself covering my face to hide the blush burning my cheeks at their words.

"Sora is probably one of the best things that has happened to 81 Produce…" Roxas started and I spoke.

"Roxas! You speak too highly of me! You're gonna make me cry!" I yelped.

"No really, Sora. You always talk about how amazing everyone else is, but you forget about how fantastic you can be. Sora isn't afraid of going the extra mile, he won't ever settle for less than the best… He's been thrown in probably one of the hardest voice acting genres and yet he's passing with flying colors! And he's the greatest best friend you could ever ask for," Roxas said and I smiled.

"I love you, bro!" I said.

"Love you too, man!" Roxas replied.

"Did we tell you that we share the same brain waves?" Roxas and I said together perfectly.

"Wow!" Brian said.

"I know, it's nothing short of amazing, right?" we said together again.

"We sure have an interesting bunch here today!" Brian laughed and Roxas and I smiled.

"Just wait till you see us working together… it gets stranger!" Axel laughed.

"So, what would you say is the hardest part of acting in a yaoi anime?" Brian asked.

"Surprisingly, for me, it's actually the scenes in public places. There's one scene at the train station… it took all night to edit that scene!" I said.

"Why is that?" Brian asked.

Leon picked up the answer. "I think we can all agree that those scenes are the hardest… it's really difficult to hear your queue with all of the ambient sound playing and even during the dialogue, things can get thrown out of whack with trying to keep up with the video recording,"

"That's really interesting that you would say that… I heard that some of the scenes in this anime can get very… 'adult' in character," Brian said.

"The ecchi scenes are the most fun to do!" Axel said.

"How so?" Brian asked.

"Because you have to get close to other actors in a very intimate way that ultimately makes you a much better actor and really, a better friend towards them," Roxas said.

"The director is not afraid of making you do something that would make normal people uncomfortable," Axel supplied again.

"Since when were we outside the category of 'normal people?'" I asked.

Leon laughed. "Since the day we auditioned for this profession,"

"The director actually brought a table into the recording room so that we could get the real sound of me throwing Roxas on the table and ravishing him. That was a fun day," Axel said.

"No it was not! My back was sore from you throwing me and you bit me too hard on the neck, I started bleeding!" Roxas said with a blush.

Leon and I laughed.

"What about you two? Do you two have any odd stories when filming the sex scenes?" Brian asked.

"Well during my first experience, Leon and I turned the whole recording into a game. We tried to see if we could arouse everyone in the room with our acting skills," I said.

Brian laughed. "Did it work?"

"Yes!" Leon and I said together.

"It really did…" Roxas said.

"Ryuichi and Satoshi make a pretty sexy couple, I have to admit," I said.

"Well, we have time for one more question, what would you say to all the aspiring voice actors out there. What kind of knowledge have you learned from voice acting that you would like to share with those who want to join the profession?" Brian asked.

"Well, voice acting requires a lot more work than you think. After a while, it becomes more than a job, it really becomes a lifestyle," Roxas said.

"I agree with Roxas… Voice acting isn't something you do at the studio and leave at the studio until you come back. Voice acting will make you face both your best and worse emotions no matter where you are. And sometimes you have to live in those feelings in order to produce them in the studio… which can really mess you up as a person," Axel said.

"Voice acting has taught me the importance of words… people may say that actions are the most important, but actions can be pointless without words behind them. Think about it, buying flowers for a loved one is a nice gesture, but until there are words explaining what those flowers mean, or what they're for, essentially, they're only flowers that anyone can give. You can't just do something and expect it to speak for itself, you have to speak up," Leon added.

I sighed. "A agree with everything that they said… voice acting isn't all fun and games… and even myself, who knew it wasn't, wasn't really all that prepared for the amount of work I received… it's not really physical work either. It's emotional… you really have to do a lot of thinking and feeling in order to become your role… and even then, you have to internalize it. And having to carry that kind of emotional baggage can really make you lose sight of what is most important to you. Voice acting can corner and isolate you in ways I never thought possible… it can reduce you to tears at any moment. I've heard stories of voice acting breaking people down completely, of ripping people apart… voice acting can tear you away form your loved ones… and in my case it's because voice acting will make you acutely self-aware… to the point where you forget about others, even the ones you love. I have two very important people in my life that deserve the biggest apology I can give… and if they are listening to this at all… I hope they'll wait for me when I get home and be forgiving when I beg on my hands and knees…" I said and there was only silence that followed.

"Well, I hope you listeners can see that there are real people with real depth behind the voices you'll soon hear on television. I definitely wouldn't miss the season premier of Coincidence Lover coming out in two months," Brian said and the recorders ended the interview.

"I have to go…" I said and Roxas smiled at me before I left the room.


	24. Chapter 24

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **Guys… we go through this every chapter…

Guys... I really think it's gonna happen! I have 806 reviews and plenty more for this story... it's like really gonna make it! WE'RE GONNA MAKE 1000 REVIEWS GUYS SO DON'T GIVE UP! 194 to go!

Chapter 24

I drove to my house as fast as I could without killing myself. I parked the car and ran to the door. I quickly opened the door and moved inside.

"Is anyone home?" I asked and waited for an answer.

I watched as Riku silently walked into the living room, his back was pressed against the wall frame of the hallway.

"Hey…" I said softly.

He sent me a blank look before his gaze moved to Kairi. Kairi stood quietly in the hallway for a second before she burst into tears and ran towards me. I braced myself for another onslaught of punches, but she didn't throw any… she was hugging my leg tightly.

"I don't hate you, Daddy! I didn't mean it! Please don't ever leave me! I'm sorry! I love you! I love you! D-don't e-ever leave m-me again!" She sobbed and I bit my lip to calm myself before swooping her into my arms and hugging as close as possible.

"I would never leave you, Kai. No matter what you say to me, because I love you more than anything… I love you more than life itself. Daddy was really hurt when you said that you hated him… I need you Kairi… you are one of the very few necessary things in my life and I would be nothing without you… I'm so sorry that I put you in a position where you felt you needed to scream at me in order to make me see… I'm so sorry Kairi, that I forgot about what's most important to me," I said and kissed her cheek.

Kairi smiled and kissed my cheek. "Now you have to pinky swear that you'll never do it again," Kairi said raising her pinky. I smiled and linked my pinky with hers.

"Never again," I said and put her down before turning to Riku. "Riku, I-"

"You said… you would beg on your hands and knees..." Riku interrupted.

I smiled a little. "So you heard that, huh?" I asked.

"You're mom… called and told me about an interview… I looked it up," He said quietly.

I moved over to Riku and took his hand before kneeling down on the floor. I looked up into his eyes and began. "Riku… there is no excuse that can justify my behavior towards you… I wouldn't listen, I treated you like dirt even when you mean the world to me, and I pushed you away and blamed you for loving me when in truth… I was afraid. It started with learning about my role for work… I-I…" I stuttered before blushing and moving to whisper in his ear.

"I became really confused about gay sex… and then whenever I thought about you I would freak out… part of me was scared about the process and my new found desires and the other part of me was angry because I couldn't bring myself to act… Back when I didn't know anything, my relationship with you was so simple… but as soon as I started to feel more… I felt as though I was ruining the purity of what we had… like I was complicating it. And then whenever you touched me, my skin would get so hot and my head would start spinning… I didn't want you to find out about it so I kept pushing you away," I said softly before pulling away and looking him in the eyes.

"When I had to kiss the other actors… it was fine… there was nothing… I didn't feel an ounce of any sort of emotion… it was work, that's all… but when you kiss me… Riku, it drives me crazy… and it suddenly became too real for me to bare… and then one day this guy at work… a-attacked m-me and I… I-I had never been so s-scared in my life… I didn't realize until then that people really did have the power t-to tear y-you ap-part… He th-threw me d-down l-like I-I was dirt and w-wouldn't stop no matter h-how hard I s-screamed…" I bit my lips and swiped at my tears.

"It took multiple people to pull him off of me… Vincent gave me the rest of the day off and all I wanted to do was sleep. And then when you came home… you climbed on top of me and you h-held m-me down… everything from earlier that day came back full f-force… I know it w-was all my f-fault b-because I had p-pushed you away b-but it was too m-much for m-me to take…" I explained and wiped at my face again.

I knelt back down and looked at him with eyes unwavering. "What I just told you was not an excuse… that was only what happened. What you said to me was true Riku… I can't run from this anymore. I love you, Riku… and I will do anything within my power to prove it to you, you can quote me on this. I swear it with Kairi as my witness!" I said and Kairi giggled.

Riku pulled me to stand and wrapped his arms around me tightly. "I'm sorry about what I said about your work… I'm sorry for trying to force you and not having enough patience. Sora, you make me want to monopolize you… it drives me crazy how much I love everything about you… I hate it when you're not around… and I hate when you are and I can't hold you… but that still doesn't excuse my jealousy," Riku said.

"It's not your fault, Riku. I'm just so glad we're not fighting anymore… I like it better when we're a happy family," I said quietly and relaxed at the feeling of Riku's hands on my back.

"So… my touch makes you hot and sends your head spinning, huh? Does it send tingles through your body? Give you chills?" Riku whispered in my ear, teasing. I could feel his smirk against my skin and his smug attitude permeate the room. I grumbled before pressing my face into his neck.

He smelled so good. I missed that smell…

"So… can I kiss you now?" Riku asked.

"You don't have to ask…" I mumbled with a blush.

"Good," Riku said before he took my chin and pressed his lips gently against mine. I body shuddered with delight at the contact and I wrapped my arms around Riku's neck.

"Yay!" I heard Kairi cheer before she moved upstairs, probably to go to her room.

I loved my daughter for being smart.

"Sora…" Riku spoke as though his voice might kill the moment if it were any louder.

"What?" I asked and let out a contented sigh at the feeling of his hands on my lower back.

"Are you sure you're okay… about that guy who attacked you? Surely he got fired right?" Riku asked.

I shivered in disgust at the thought of that hideous pig. "I had never felt so scared in my life… he could hold me completely still with one hand! I felt so sick… and he was yanking me and pulling at my pants and clothes. I just want to stop thinking about it… I feel a lot better already," I said with a smile and took in his scent again. "And yeah, he was fired," I added.

Riku grumbled. "Good," he said before pulling me into a kiss again. We let our tongues explore each other's mouths before I found myself sprawled across the couch with Riku kissing gently at my neck. I moaned softly at his attention and shifted so that he could have better access.

But then I froze.

Something was different. I sat up suddenly and Riku let out a small noise of protest. I ignored him for a second and looked between my legs.

I was hard.

"Holy shit!" I yelped and covered my mouth with a blush. This was the first boner I had ever gotten from Riku's affections and I couldn't help but be shocked by it.

Riku chuckled. "Well it sure is nice to finally meet you…" he said and I huffed.

"Don't fucking talk to it!" I griped.

Riku let out a laugh that escalated into hysterical laughter. There was nothing I could do except laugh with him. It was after a moment I realized that Riku's laughter was mostly out of relief than humor. I guess he was relieved that there was a physical representation of my desire for him that proved that I really was fully in our relationship both physically and mentally.

He stopped laughing slowly and his eyes flashed a sharp green as he inched in once more to initiate contact. I moaned when his lips pressed against a sensitive part of my neck.

"Hmmm, Sora…" Riku moaned softly before his hand started to wander.

My breath got caught in my throat when he placed his hand on my groin. He stroked me once through my clothes and suddenly my breath exploded from my mouth in a loud, high pitched moan.

It took me a second to realize the noise actually came from my mouth and I covered my mouth in embarrassment once more. I couldn't believe I could make such a noise… I sounded like a cheap whore…

"Sora, I want to hear you…" He said in my ear before giving it a lick. I shivered before releasing my mouth and letting him continue.

"I-It's embarrassing…" I gasped.

"It's fucking sexy…" Riku said and nibbled gently on my earlobe while pressing a little harder on my clothed heat.

"Riku…" I whimpered softly as his kisses moved downward I shivered when he pressed his lips to my collarbone as his free hand began to hike my shirt up.

His hand grazed my nipple the same time his other hand tightened on my lower member. "Ahn! R-Riku!" I moaned and squirmed at the pleasure shooting up my body.

"Oh God, I want you so bad…" Riku moaned and began to unfasten my pants. He had just gotten my pants open when my phone went off.

I was about to tell Riku to ignore it when he pulled my phone from my pocket and handed it to me.

It was for work.

I groaned and pressed a kiss to Riku's lips before answering. "Hello?" I asked.

"Sora... we need you to come back to work. Apparently, Pete hacked into our computers and deleted some of our files even the back up ones. So we have to record them again. I swear that man is going to hear from me… he's not getting away with this…" Vincent said, his voice sounding scarier than usual.

"I have to come in now?" I asked not realizing that I was whining.

"Yes…" Vincent said in a monotone.

"Vincent… I… But… You… Awwww!" I groaned before leaning over and placing my face on Riku's shoulder. "It was getting so good too…" I mumbled.

"What was?" Vincent asked.

I flushed… I didn't mean to say that into the phone. "Nothing… I'll be there soon," I said.

"Sora… do you think your boss would mind if I came along… I'm curious…" Riku said and I beamed at him.

"You really want to?" I asked.

"Yeah," Riku said.

"Vincent… do you mind if my boyfriend and my daughter tag along? I promise you they are very well behaved and I'm sure Roxas can entertain my daughter in the lounge if you don't want her in the studio…" I asked.

"Sora… I don't want you to have any distractions…" Vincent said.

"They won't be! I promise! Please Vincent? I want them to see what I do with my life almost everyday!" I begged.

"If there's even one complaint, I'm kicking them out," Vincent said.

"THANK YOU!" I exclaimed before hanging up.

"So I can go?" Riku asked.

"Yeah! And Kairi too! Hey Kai! Do you want to see where Daddy works?" I yelled hoping she could hear me from upstairs.

There was a squeal in reply and I knew that was a 'yes.'

"Well if Kairi is _that _excited maybe I should be too," Riku said with a chuckle and I pulled him into an open mouthed kiss. I couldn't help but feel like the ice was finally broken between us and I suddenly felt all of these new emotions coming to the surface. All the urges to kiss and hug and love that were being repressed are finally being released.

And I was okay with that.

Riku groped my ass and even though it still made me blush, I didn't feel as though a warning signal needed to go off. I scooted closer and ran my hands through his hair as our tongues battled for dominance.

When I heard Kairi moving down the stairs I pulled away and smiled at Riku.

"Are you ready to go Kairi?" I asked.

"Yeah!" Kairi said.

"Well then let's go!" I said and moved to stand.

"But Dad!" Kairi squeaked.

"What, baby?" I asked.

"You're gonna go in your undies?" she asked and I looked down to find that my pants had pooled to my ankles.

Mortified, I pulled them back up in haste as Kairi and Riku laughed their asses off.

"Very funny!" I said sarcastically before moving to scoop Kairi up. "Off to Neverland aka WORK!" I yelled and Riku chuckled some more before opening the door.

I had a feeling this was gonna be fun.

A/N: Things are happy again! My sister is up and about, she can't really bend her leg and there are a few other things still healing but she feels the need to be social again and stuff so she's obviously getting better! Thanks so much for all your best wishes for my sister, it means a lot.

**Lunahalo: **The talking and making up part is all done… fucking, not fulfilled, YET! XD

**X0xCerryBlossomx0x: **Awe! I'm glad I could touch your emotions through my writing! Thanks so much!

**DeViLaNgEl11: **Here is your MORE! I hope you liked it! :D My sister is getting better thanks for your support!

**The Fallen Angel13: **Though I really don't like Bruno Mars (his voice is too whiny for my tastes), I'll look into it. Thanks for the suggestion. :D

**VeniVediVici: **Nope, not the end… just the beginning! :D All is swell!

**Alcorion: **Yeah, Kairi had to do something drastic to knock some sense into her father, it worked and all it better again… makes me happy! (even though I knew it was going to happen, it still gives me warm fuzzies!) XD Thanks for your support!

**TayTayXD: **Thanks so much! Yeah, sister is getting better! The good vibes are really helping I think! So thanks again!

**MidnightxMusic: **Hahah! That's exactly how I feel when I cry at something I read, "I poked myself in the eye! These aren't tears of angst!" XD All is better now!

**Sailor Neo Angel: **Thanks so much! :D

**The Fuzzy Ficus: **YES! Almost? DARN! I WANTED YOU TO CRY! Haha! JAYKAY! Almost crying is enough! Yes, Riku was listening. Thanks for the magical healing vibes you sent for my sister! THEY WORK!

**Kaoru-chibimaster: **Yep, getting better! And now things are better between our two favorite boys in this story! And I'm sorry about Cantabile I keep getting too distracted with this story and then I have three other new ideas in the works… it's terrible… but I think once school starts again all the musical creative juices will start flowing again. Thanks!

**Guest 1: **Thanks, buddy!

**Cazzylove: **Thank you, Caz!

**Muffy: **Thanks, she's getting there! And thanks for being so considerate… the whole situation was pretty out of nowhere and it threw me off balance… and then my mom has to go and tell me, "if your sister was driving in ANY other car, she would have died!" It's crazy I tell you! Anyway, yeah, Kairi had to do something drastic to get it through Sora's thick skull that she wasn't going to let him run away all the time. But all it better now, YAY!

**Mochiusagi: **Yes, they both realized they were being butt faces and finally apologized! :D Thanks!

**Natural Chaos: **Thanks for being so understanding! I love thee! XD

**Yana5: **Yes it is okay now!

**Dearlybelovedangel: **I see what your saying, but the point was in this case, that Sora's only half-assing the relationship. Or at least that was what I was trying to make it seem like. He doesn't really realize it himself but Riku does and for someone to say, "I love you" but not take your feelings seriously must hurt like a bitch. And it truly angers Riku that Sora gave him the impression of diving in when essentially he was only dipping his feet. When facing new things, the Sora in this story is a bit of a coward, and Kairi wanted Sora to see that… but she's still only a five-year-old (she's an on and off genius like most kids are) Kairi doesn't have the sort of articulation needed to just tell her father straight up in a way that wouldn't sound childish, so instead she throws out something that she knows is a lie but will show her father that running away hurts a lot more things than just Riku's feelings… and you are very right about them needing to talk it out, which they finally did and now things are better.

**Formidable Rain: **YES! Sora head is out in the open and reality has hit its mark! Yeah, I could totally type my whole justification for Riku again but that would take too long… if you want to see my reasoning for Riku's behavior it's in the reply above yours! :D And yes, they got… only a little more physical… it'll be there at some point soon! XD

**Cj Quinn: **Yep all is better now!

**Daota1: **Thanks so much! I hope this one was good for you!

**RedWords: **Awww, yeah, I wanted to try and explore the dynamics of voice acting, (though I know nothing about real voice acting, I tried to put myself in their shoes). Thanks!

**Mudkipluvr4ever: **Sister is getting better thanks! And they are all made up! YAY!

**Mikepd: **Thanks so much! XD

**HarleyQuinFTW: **Thanks so much! It's all better now and they are going to be more considerate of each other now.

**Naruxhinacrazy: **Thanks so much! Yay! No deteriorations! Thanks a lot, my sister is doing better!

**INessie: **And now all is fixed! Thanks! My sister is feeling much better and it's because of all of the healing vibes she gets from the people around her and the people who wish her well so really, thanks!

**Joxas: **Cool! I'm glad you really enjoyed last chapter! :D

**ChocolateGummiBears: **Hi new reviewer! :D Thanks a lot for your review and your good wishes for my sister! It means a lot to me!

**Coffemug957: **Thanks! Stupid Sora got his shit together and now things are looking up!

**Lightmater: **YESS! FEELINGS! And thank YOU! :D

**Nami1415: **hehe! Yes! Thanks!

**FFirst2L: **Hehehe! Riku and Dora! AHAHAHAHHAHAH! I'm sorry that amused me WAY more than it should! I hope this chapter answered all your wondering about the outcome of the situation! :D

**Dannyrockwell: **HERE IT IS! HOPE IT WAS GOOD! :D

**Dragonrose21: **Yeah, it is cute that they can forgive each other after being buttholes to one another. And yes, Sora and Riku complete each other :)

**WindWisp: **heheh! Yes! And YES! YOU UNDERSTAND! She's not saying she REALLY hates her Dad! But she's saying the only thing that will make him understand that he's ruining the best thing that's ever happened to them, their FAMILY! I was concerned about the amount of people who were mad at Kairi for saying that… even though it wasn't really a lot of people… it just irked me. No child with a caring parent ever says "I hate you!" to their parent and actually MEANS it! She was desperate and her little five-year-old brain lacked the verbal maturity to really explain things to her father at that crucial moment. Though I have no idea why I'm ranting to you, you actually kinda know this already. And yeah, that is really nice that someone noticed… I was kind of going for the whole first person limited approach… Sora's perspective is limited and driven by the limitations and workings of his thoughts and feelings. Thanks for appreciating that. And yes, I think so too about this yaoi knowledge and putting it to use! XD Yay! 4's, in fact, FOUR 4's! :D

**Ldrmas: **Well, she's not 110 percent yet, but I feel comfortable enough to update and spend some time reviewing now. Thanks for the support… and I love you too! :)


	25. I just realized you could change this!

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own this stuff I promise… the plot it mine though!

Chapter 25

"Okay Riku, I'm giving you my script so you know exactly what I have to do in these recordings. Just for a heads up… all the sections marked in red are the ecchi scenes…" I trailed off awkwardly.

"Otou-san? What's ecchi?" Kairi asked and I winced.

"Ri-chan, ecchi means adult content… meaning that it's unwise for you and kids in general to watch it," Riku explained and Kairi nodded.

I couldn't believe it, he just told her straight up and she accepted it without a whine or an argument.

"Wow, what did you do to my daughter, Riku?" I asked and Riku chuckled.

"Kairi's a genius, if either of us tried to make something up, she would have known we were lying… so I gave up on trying to cover things up," Riku said and I smiled.

"That's my Kairi, the greatest thing since Einstein!" I said and reached my hand back to grab Kairi's little shoe clad foot.

"Daddy! Both hands on the wheel!" She giggled.

"Alright, alright," I relented and focused on driving. Riku was sitting calmly reading my script. I noticed his thumb brushing over all of my notes in the margins. I think he was starting to notice that my job was more work than reading words off a page in front of a mike.

I turned the corner and I smiled when I heard Riku chuckle softly at the lines. By the time we reached 81 Produce, Riku had finished the script.

Which was nothing short of amazing.

"We're here!" I exclaimed and Kairi pulled at her buckles in an attempt to leave the car faster.

Riku got out of the car and unlocked Kairi before setting her down. "Kairi, wait till we leave the parking lot before you run off, okay. In fact, take my hand, you're making me nervous," Riku said and I took the script from his other hand so that I could take his hand.

Riku squeezed my hand and pressed a kiss to my cheek.

"'Tou-san! HAYAKU!" Kairi whined and Riku laughed.

"Hai, hai, Ri-chan," Riku answered and we moved towards the building.

"Did Kairi just tell us to hurry up?" I asked.

Riku nodded and I looked over to Kairi. "Miss Bossy, I know you're excited, but I can't have you running around the building… Vincent would kill me!" I said.

"He won't really kill him, Kai," Riku added when Kairi's eyes widened the size of saucers.

"Hontou?" Kairi asked.

"Hai, Ri-chan, daijobu da."

I really needed to get in on this Japanese thing.

We entered the building and I introduced Riku and Kairi to Selphie, who practically smothered Kairi in hugs. Selphie really loved kids.

We moved upstairs to Vincent's office and I smiled. "Hello, Vincent. I'm here with the gang!" I said excitedly.

"Fabulous…" he trailed dryly.

"This is my boyfriend, Riku Uchida… and down here is my baby, Kairi," I said and picked her up from where she was hiding behind Riku's leg. "Kairi, this is my boss."

"Charmed…" another dry comment.

Kairi recoiled a bit hid her face in my neck. "Mr. Valentine! Do you talk to everyone like the have an IQ below ten? Lighten up!" I kidded before Kairi pulled her face from me, her eyes brightened suddenly.

"Hello, Mr. Valentine… Daddy, do you think he has a toothache from too much candy?" She asked with a wide-eyed and curious look on her face.

"Why would you think that? I don't think Vincent has a sweet tooth…" I said puzzled.

"Daddy, he's everyone's valentine… he probably gets a lot of candy!" Kairi explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Riku and I looked at each other and laughed. Vincent didn't look very amused, but there was the tiniest twitch upwards on the right side of his mouth.

"I promise we didn't rehearse that!" I said.

"Get out of my office…" Vincent drawled and I smiled at Kairi before leaving.

"Sora! Kairi!" I turned to see Roxas coming from up the hall.

"Roxas!" I called back. "Come meet the BF," I said.

"Well… Hello, Doctor," Roxas said in a low voice before laughing and taking Kairi from my arms. "I'm Roxas… it's nice to meet you, finally."

"I've heard a lot about you from Sora, it's nice to meet you as well. I see you've met Kairi already," Riku replied.

"Roxas, I have to go re-record some scenes and I don't really think it's a good idea to have Kairi there, so can you take her?" I asked.

"Yeah, Rinoa and I are doing some exercises in the movement studio. Do you want to do some exercises with us?" Roxas asked Kairi and she almost exploded with excitement.

"Yeah!" She exclaimed.

"Kairi, you get to meet Ms. Rinoa too! She's Jane from Kids on the Block," I added and Kairi tugged a little on Roxas' collar. "Let's go!"

"Kairi, remember to be polite!" I said and Kairi nodded.

"Roxas, can we _please_ go play now?" She asked and I saw Roxas melt.

"Of course! Say bye to Sora and Riku," he said.

"Ja ne!" Kairi called and I waved.

"Kiotsukete ne, Ri-chan!" Riku said and Kairi smiled.

"Wakatta, wakatta yo!" Kairi answered and Riku smiled softly.

"When we get home, I think it's only fair that you start teaching me Japanese…" I said.

"Only if you call me Sensei," Riku smirked and grabbed my ass.

I yelped and smacked him with my script as he laughed.

"Let's go, Mr. Handsy…" I mumbled.

Riku chuckled and I lead him to the recording room. "Hey, Leon! This is my boyfriend, Riku! He wanted to see me work today," I said.

Leon stood and took Riku's hand and smiled with a nod.

"Riku, this is Leon, he plays Ryuichi in the anime," I said.

"Pleasure," I frowned when Riku's voice hardened.

"Uhh-um… so what scene do we have to redo?" I asked Leon to cut the tension.

"Our first ecchi scene," Leon said and I sighed inwardly when the tension doubled.

"Alright is everyone ready to go? Now, I really did like the first recording, but this is an opportunity to make the scene even better. So let's make this hotter," Ansem spoke and I jumped.

"The director's here?" I asked, suddenly a little nervous.

"Yeah, but don't worry, Sora. We have this in the bag, right?" Leon said with an encouraging smile.

I returned the smile. "Yeah, let's knock his socks off!" I said with a laugh.

"Let's go. Unfortunately only actors are allowed in the actually recording studio, so you'll have to wait here, but enjoy," Leon said good-naturedly.

Riku didn't really take it that way, if I were to go by the look in his eyes. "Right…" he said.

I took Riku's hand and smiled and before leaning in close to his ear. "Would it make you feel better if I thought of you when I do the scene?" I asked.

Riku smiled, "be careful not to moan my name."

I snickered and kissed his cheek before moving into the studio.

"Ready!" I said.

The recording started and I spoke, "Ryuichi, where are you taking me?" I asked.

As the scene went on I found myself getting back into the swing of things. Leon was taking it up a notch and I followed to make the recording as good as possible.

"Ahn… hah! Ryu-Ryuichi… n-not there!" I moaned. Leon bit my neck and I yelped.

"Cut…" the director said and I frowned.

"I'm sorry, sorry… that was my bad." I said and rubbed my neck. "That kinda hurt, Leon…" I said softly.

"No, no, I wanted to stop a little before that… the last recoding was completely natural… this one, the chemistry seems a little forced. Try to relax and we'll do this again," Ansem said and I nodded.

"We might be a little tense because Sora's boyfriend is watching… it's a little awkward," Leon spoke and I turned to him.

"That's not it!" I yelped. Why would Leon say that? There was no need to single Riku out like that.

"Wait, you're Sora's boyfriend?" Ansem looked at Riku and I spoke.

"Yeah, he came for a visit today."

"How familiar are you with the script?" Ansem asked.

"Memorized," Riku answered.

"What? You read it on the drive here!" I exclaimed.

"Photographic memory, I would have never gone through so many medical texts if I didn't have it…" Riku explained and I smile.

"Wow, we learn something new everyday!" I laughed.

"I want to try something, Leon, you say the lines, boyfriend can do the kissing," Ansem said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Let's see how it goes."

I smiled and ran out the studio to grab Riku. We moved over to the mike and I looked to Leon. "Are you ready, Partner?" I asked.

Leon nodded and I looked over to Riku. "Are you ready for our acting debut?" I asked.

"Yeah…" Riku whispered and then we were queued to begin.

"Ryuichi, is this where you live? This is crazy! It's so-" Riku interrupted my line with a kiss. I let out a small yelp and pulled away, "Ryui-" I was cut off again by Riku. I shivered when I felt Riku slide his fingers down my back.

I pulled away, "Ryuichi, stop!" I cried out in fear.

"No…" Leon spoke into the mike and Riku gave me a loud, wet kiss. Leon continued his line before I spoke.

"Akihito? Ryuichi what are you talking about? What did Akihito say to you?" I gasped, Riku slid his tongue up my neck and nibbled on my jaw line… I had to stop myself from moaning.

I almost missed my line I was so distracted by Riku's attentions. "Ryuichi you're not making any sense! I don't belong to anyone!" I snapped angrily before gasping once more.

Riku started pressing open mouthed kisses on my neck and paused when he noticed what I guess was the bite mark from Leon. He bit over it even harder and I moaned.

"Ahhnn… hah! Ri-u… Ryuichi, n-not there!" I almost slipped on the line but managed to save it by pinching Riku's side.

We continued, with a couple of close calls due to Riku getting a little too into it… After the last line, Ansem cut the scene and smiled.

"That was very nice… great job, all of you. Sora that voice of yours is going to get you to big places. Leon, Ryuichi's jealousy sounded so genuine that it gave me goose bumps. Really, I'm very pleased." Ansem spoke and I jumped excitedly.

"Riku! Did you hear that?" I asked and threw my arms around him.

Riku's POV

I smirked when I heard the director's jealousy comment. It served that asshole right… Sora was mine and I wasn't going to give him to anyone.

I wrapped my arms around Sora's waist and looked to Leon with a smirk. Leon frowned at me before leaving the studio.

"Hey Leon, awesome job on your… Leon? Riku, did you see where Leon went?" Sora asked and I shrugged. "Are you finished here?" I asked.

Sora took my hand and pulled me back over to Vincent's office. He knocked on the door and entered.

"Vincent, were there any other scenes that I needed to record?" Sora asked his head cocked to the side in question.

"No they were mostly Leon's and Axel's scenes, however I was about to call you on another matter," Vincent pulled something out of his desk and handed it to Sora.

"What's this?" he asked and I smiled.

"Sora, that's a paycheck," I said with a chuckle.

"For the interview… your next paycheck doesn't come till after all the episodes of the anime are recorded. There's a bonus depending on how well the anime is received," Vincent explained.

I watched Sora's eyes widen and he wrapped his arms around me again with a happy sounding hoot. "THANK YOU!" Sora cried, and I laughed at the sincerity of his words.

"Spend it wisely, Sora," Vincent said and I nodded to Sora's boss before excusing the both of us.

"So you want to tell me where Kairi is so we can see her?" I asked.

I watched as Sora's face brightened and he zoomed down the hall and down the stairs, me trialing behind him with a laugh.

We flew into the movement studio and I smiled fondly when he suddenly scooped Kairi into a hug. Kairi yelped but started to laugh when she realized it was her daddy holding her close.

"Hey, Daddy!" she chirped.

"Kairi, guess what I got?" Sora asked excitedly.

"Uh… a pony?" she asked and I laughed.

"No, silly! I got a paycheck! I wonder how much it is!" Sora said and Roxas put a hand on his shoulder.

"Congrats, man! That means you are officially employed here!"

"Sora, I'm so happy for you!" Rinoa said and pulled Sora and Kairi into a three-way hug.

"Thanks, Rin. But it's time for us to go! I want to deposit this baby and there's something I really want to buy!" Sora said with an excited tone in his voice.

I wondered what Sora might be interested in buying… was it something work related? Now that I think about it, it was probably something for Kairi. He really loved providing for her.

I smiled and waved goodbye to Sora's co-workers before Sora took my hand on the way out.

A/N: Sorry it's kinda short… I ran out of prewritten chapters! XD

**VeniVediVici: **Hehe! I'm glad you thought it was funny! Thanks!

**Joxas: **Yes! :D Thanks!

**Lunahalo: **YAY! I'm glad you think so! Me too about the whole reading finished fics… I don't like to wait, I just like reading it all in one sitting. I hope you liked this chapter and think it was worth waiting for. :D

**Animesaki: **Yes, Kairi is a genius! Thanks!

**XxRenThyRavenxX: **Oh as you can see, they are okay. Their totally free of issues right now. :D

**Angelkit: **I'm glad you liked how everything worked out! Thanks!

**Alcorion: **Hehe, sometimes I just gotta channel that inner yaoi pervert to get the party going! XD But yeah, I have to keep you in suspense! :D

**Guest 1: **It makes me happy that you thought it was cute… that's what I was going for! Thanks!

**AriaxVincent: **Yeah, that's actually based off real life experience… my mom was in such a rush to get to work that she forgot to put on pants one time! My twelve-year-old self could NOT stop laughing when she realized she was about to leave the house in her undies! XD

**The Fuzzy Ficus: **Haha! Yeah, Vincent put a wrench in it! But Sora said it into Riku's ear… Kairi couldn't hear it. Sora didn't forget that Kairi was there! But haha! I feel like that's how I was when it came to my first encounter with the whole sex thing. And to answer your question about Pete… he just went ape-shit on the machine and by making the computer malfunction, he was able to bypass security and delete files… sometimes, being a brute leads to small successes in life. And I enjoyed Akuroku day, even though it didn't really dawn on me that it was 8/13 until it was almost too late! XD I didn't really specify Roxas and Axel's relationship only because I'm really trying to focus on Sora and Riku. But I'll drop a few hints here and there.

**Animedprincess: **YAY! Thanks!

**D.E.W.P: **Hehe! Amen! I love when people know what I'm gonna do next… it makes me feel as if I know what people want and I do it naturally! Yep, that's exactly what happened!

**The Fallen Angel13: **Vincent needed them to record stuff, luckily Riku was there to help! :D

**Sayonara7: **YES! I hope you liked the studio shenanigan!

**RaiuxNeexChan: **Ooo, that sounds like a lot of hard work to get healthy again. Yeah, my sister strong and she's doing her best. I'm glad to know that there are others out there that are strong like my sister! Thanks so much for your review!

**Katieelainedelecki: **Aww, I hope this chapter made it a little better! Thanks so much and I'm glad I could help!

**Dreamy Duskywing: **YOU'RE BACK! (you were gone for a little bit right?… I feel like I haven't heard from you…) Anyway, I'm glad you liked the chapter and thanks for the review!

**Anna Crosszeria: **Hahah! We'll get there, we'll get there! XD Thanks!

**Muffy: **Thanks! And yeah, Sora and Riku really crossed a threshold in their relationship and passed it without any bloodshed. Vinnie, just loves being a fun sucker! And I'm really getting to 1000 reviews, aren't I? I feel like, REALLY special! Thanks for your review!

**FFirst2L: **Yes, I know the feeling, I can't do anything on my phone or my ipod without an unfortunate typo. Thanks!

**Cj Quinn: **Yep! I was hoping that people would either find that funny or cute in a pervy sort a way! XD Thanks for the review!

**X0xCherryBlossomx0x: **:D Yes! Moving onward!

**Yana5: **:D Yay! Thanks!

**Aki-chan26: **Yeah, steaminess gets cut short because I love keeping you guys in suspense! Thanks so much for the feedback! :)

**RedWords: **Yep, bad Vinnie! Thanks!

**INessie: **Hahaha! Yeah, luckily I now have a computer in my room so when I laugh out loud, I don't have my mom trying to butt in my business! XD Thanks a lot!

**MrCoopCake: **It's okay, though I missed you! :) I hope everything is settled and okay… I hope you're as healthy as a golden rainbow unicorn and that your teeth are squeaky clean! (that's better than being as healthy as a horse XD and its always nice to have a nice clean healthy mouth too!) Alright… enough of me rambling about your business! Thanks so much for the review! And I got 7 boxes! YESSS! That's awesome!

**ChocolateGummiBears: **Riku and Sora will have sexy time at some point I promise! Yeah, she goes upstairs to her room and Sora's all like "I love my daughter for being smart." Thanks for the review!

**PearlsXofXsin: **Heheh! Thanks so much!

**Formidable Rain: **YES! THAT'S WHAT I WANTED!

**Daota1: **Yay! Thanks so much!

**Lightmaster: **Well, we all know that _someone _doesn't like Riku… as you can see Leon wants a piece and Riku doesn't share! XD Thanks! Hehe!

**Natural Chaos: **Yeah, Sora's life needed sweetness again! Thanks!

**Dark Blue Princess: **WOOO! I LOVE TAKING FANDOM VIRGINITIES! HAHAH! Jk! Thanks so much for reading and I'm really glad you like it! :D

**Kaoru-chibimaster: **Yep! Hehe! I'm glad you thought it was funny! Thanks so much!

**MayaDarkling: **Well thank you very much, my friend! Yay! I'm really happy! I love you, and your face (though I've never seen it), and your review, and you (I said this already but I wanted to have four things to love about you) hehe! :D

**Coffemug: **No numbers this time! And yeah, maybe it's my subconscious saying that your life is so awesome that I need to write about it in a KH fic. Thanks, buddy! I love thee!

**TayTayXD: **Thanks so much Tay! And you got just a little bit more steaminess today! :D

**KatzeSchnee: **Yay! :D

**CheshyCatGrin: **It's okay! Don't panic! I'm glad Amy is better or at least getting better now! (I assume so because you are back now!) Thanks for the review!

**DannyRockwell: **YESSS! XD

**Dragonrose21: **Yes, exactly! And I'm so happy with all the feedback this story is getting, it warms my heart! Thanks so much!

**DeViLaNgEl11: **HAHAH! Yes, he wasn't smirking outwardly, but inwardly he was feeling quite smug at that moment! Hehe! :D Thanks for the review!

**Cazzylove: **Thank you! :)

**Shackled Soul: **Thanks so much!

**Merrr16: **It's okay! I'm just glad you replied at all! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Mudkipluvr4ever: **Sora was whispering it in Riku's ear. Kairi couldn't hear it. Kairi's sweet innocence is still intact! Do not worry! XD Thanks for the review!

**Sab: **Thanks so much for your super long review! It made me so HAPPIEEE! And yes, I only wish those talented voice actors would get together for a yaoi anime! I hope you liked the chapter!

**WindWisp: **Yeah, I'm really happy that you can read between the lines and see that Kairi's seemingly childish requests are really much deeper than they seem on the surface. And yes, Kairi is a genius! And I DID enjoy your pun at the end of your review! I giggled!

**Guest 2: **Thanks so much! Hehe!

**Guest 3: **Hahah! That means a lot! Thanks so much!

**Guest 4: **Awwwwe! Thank you! My dream really is coming true! And it's all thanks to you guys! I'm so happy! :D


	26. Feeling Fine

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **Man, I don't own the characters! How many times do I have to tell you!

OH MY FRIKKING GOD GUYS! LESS THAN 100 MORE AND THEN MY DREAM WILL BE COMPLETE! And excuse the Japanese… I don't really speak it, I just learn from many years of watching subs and reading manga and using context clues so there's room for error… so sorry if I butchered it a little… XD

Chapter 26

Riku's POV

When we got home I smiled and turned to Sora who was already opening the envelope of his paycheck.

"Oh god…" I heard Sora say and Kairi ran up to him to pull on his pant leg.

"Nani, nani?" Kairi asked excitedly.

"Is there something wrong, Sora?" I asked and moved closer to him.

"No… I just didn't expect to be paid so much… It was a thirty minute interview and this check is for three thousand dollars…" Sora said in a daze and I smiled before pulling him into an embrace.

He was so cute.

"Well… if it makes you feel any better, I bet Roxas and the others got paid more since they've been actors longer," I said and chuckled when Sora snorted.

"Thanks, I feel much better now," Sora said sarcastically.

"Daddy! What are you gonna do with it?" Kairi asked.

"Well, I'm gonna go deposit it first before I do anything. Why don't you guys stay here and I'll be back soon, okay?" Sora said and I eyed him curiously.

What was he up to?

I watched as Sora scooped Kairi up to plant a kiss to her face before putting her down again. "Be good for Otou-san, alright?"

"Hai!" Kairi said with a salute.

I watched as Sora melted at his daughter's adorableness.

"Bye, baby," I said and kissed him gently before turning to Kairi. "Hey, Kairi, you want to watch a movie in my office? Otou-san has to get some reading done," I said as Sora left the house.

"Yeah! In Japanese!" Kairi exclaimed and I shook my head.

"You really want to watch a Japanese film?" I asked.

"Onegai, 'Tou-san!" Kairi said and I smiled. I secretly loved it that she was picking up Japanese so well. It made me feel just a little bit closer to her, it made me feel like a real father… that I could pass something from me and my history down to her filled me with such intense pride that I couldn't help but encourage her to learn more and more.

I thought about a movie I could show her. "Ah! Tonari no Totoro! Have you ever heard of Totoro-san?" I asked.

Kairi shook her head with a curious look on her face. I took her hand and pulled her into my office. I pulled up my second office chair and placed her in it.

"Comfy?" I asked.

"Un!" Kairi answered with a nod.

I smiled and kissed her head before pulling out my laptop and plugging in my hard drive with all my Japanese films on it. I pulled up Miyazaki's films and clicked 'My Neighbor Totoro.'

As it began to play, I placed the computer in front of her before pulling out a study on skin rashes that are commonly known to affect children. It was an interesting perspective on how certain genes leave kids more susceptible to infection and skin conditions. The doctor who wrote it also makes sure to point out that sometimes certain environmental aspects will heighten the effect the gene may have on a child… it was really interesting.

As I read at my desk, I could hear Kairi giggling and responding to the film she was watching. She gasped before spouting, "Kawaii desu!"

"Totoro-san wa totemo kawaii desu ka?" I asked hoping she would understand what I was asking.

"Yeah! He's very cute! But… what IS he, exactly?" She asked and I smiled.

"Neko desu." I said with a smile.

"A cat? Nuh unh!" Kairi laughed and shook her head. "Neko ja nai kedo!" she piped.

I laughed and ran my hand through her hair as I continued to read.

I paused in my reading, however, when I heard the video pause. "Otou-san! Did I ever tell you about my new friends at school?" Kairi said and I looked to her.

"You mean Jason-chan?" I asked.

"No, last week the other class got two new students. They're twins… I wanted to tell you about them sooner, but you and Daddy were still mad at each other…" Kairi said quietly and I frowned.

I closed my book and turned Kairi's chair so that she was facing me. "Kairi, daijobu desu ka?" I asked and gently tilted her chin upwards so that she was looking at me. My heart clenched when she had tears in her eyes.

"I-I'm really h-happy you and Daddy aren't f-fighting anymore," Kairi said and a few tears fell from her eyes. I wiped away the tears and pulled her onto my lap.

"Daddy and I are a team now, though there may be some things I might not like and things that he might not like… I want you to know that you can count on us to fix it eventually. We don't like fighting with each other and I think that that whole situation was necessary in order to teach us that. So don't worry about it anymore okay? And just so you know, I wouldn't leave even if you hated me. I love you too much," I said and Kairi smiled.

"I love you too," she said.

"So, who are these friends of yours?" I asked.

"I play with them at recess with Zell! They're names are Kasai and Rakurai! They have Japanese names like me!" Kairi said excitedly.

I smiled. "Those are some pretty cool names," I replied.

"Yeah! They invited me to their house but I told them I couldn't go until I got permission… They said that I was always welcome and that when I got permission I could go."

"Well, why don't you talk to Daddy about it when he get's back?" I suggested and Kairi nodded.

"I wonder what he's doing…" Kairi said.

"Who knows, he's a mystery sometimes." I chuckled and turned the laptop around so that we both could see it. "Want to finish the movie?" I asked.

"Yeah!" Kairi exclaimed and I pressed the play button.

Kairi and I finished watching the movie and I was only happy to read a book with her afterwards.

We were dozing off in the chair when I heard a strange noise outside. "What was that?" I asked.

"I dunno…" Kairi yawned.

The noise sounded again and I frowned. "That doesn't really sound good… it's kinda like a drill or something…" I said and stood with Kairi in my arm. "Let's investigate, shall we?" I asked.

We listened quietly and noticed that the strange noises were coming from the front of the house. We slowly moved to the front door and opened it.

"Done! Perfect!" I jumped at Sora's voice and I turned to see Sora's back. He was facing…

A Hammock?

Wait… I frowned when I noticed the drill on the ground and hooks now jutting from the wood of our house.

"Sora James Smith! Did it not cross your mind that I _might _want to know that your drilling holes in my house!" I yelled and Sora jumped three feet into the air before turning to me.

"B-but! Look! I've been thinking about this for a while! I even measured and did the math, all three of us can fit on this hammock and when the sun sets it's at the perfect angle! Come lay with me!" Sora said and took off his gloves and goggles before taking my hand.

His eyes were shining with so much excitement that I couldn't bring myself to be mad at him for not telling me about this.

"So you went out and bought stuff to make a porch hammock for us?" I asked.

"'Tou-san! It even matches the house colors!" Kairi said and Sora smiled.

"It looks good doesn't it? I know a thing or two about making things, I'm a real handy man," Sora said and I laughed.

"Could you have said that with any less pride? You really shouldn't puff your chest out like that, it makes you look like a rooster. And sorry to burst your bubble, but even if it looks good, if we can't lay in it, there's no point." I said and Kairi laughed when Sora began to pout.

"Daddy's pouting!" Kairi said gleefully.

"It's _not _a pout! I'm _scowling_!" Sora exclaimed and I walked over to the hammock. I placed Kairi down and slowly sat on the hammock. Once I was settled, I put my feet up and sighed.

"One person down, two to go," I said and Sora smiled.

I watched as he grabbed Kairi and handed her to me. I took her and I laughed when Kairi spoke, "Uh oh, Daddy, it's getting wobbly!"

"Have faith in your father, Kairi!" He said before getting onto the hammock.

I laughed when the hammock leaned downward and Kairi yelped. "Whoa!"

"Hold on! Riku you have to put Kairi between us, otherwise it won't be balanced! You're gonna make me fall off!" Sora exclaimed and I moved Kairi over to Sora.

And then, like magic, the hammock leveled out perfectly. Sora sighed and pushed at the porch banister to rock us back and forth. "Isn't this nice?" Sora said a smug look on his face.

I laughed. "Yes, I really like it Sora, I'll even forgive you about not telling me about drilling into our house," I said and leaned my head against his.

"Oh ho, before you said it was _your _house!" Sora pointed and I chuckled.

"To-may-to, to-mah-to…" I sighed and Sora ran a hand through Kairi's hair.

"She fell asleep," he said quietly and I smiled.

"Sora…" I started.

"Yes, love?"

"I'm sorry…"

"For what? " Sora asked, his voice puzzled.

"Just… I don't… I don't ever want to fight with you like that again…" I said calmly and Sora shifted so that he could look at me.

"Neither do I, but don't worry Riku… that was just a hurdle we needed to jump before we could move on. And being able to talk with you like this will prevent us from having the kind of problem that we had before. Is Kairi still upset about it?" Sora asked, seeming to understand why I brought it up.

"She's still sensitive about it… I worry all the time about her and about how my actions affect her," I said.

Sora chuckled. "That's what being a dad is all about, babe. I would be surprised if you weren't worried about her."

I felt my heart warm at his words. He made it sound as though I really was Kairi's dad. "Is that okay?" I asked.

Sora glanced up at me with an odd look. "Let's put Kairi in her bed," he said and he scooped her up before we got off the hammock.

I followed Sora back into the house and up the stairs to Kairi's room. He placed her in bed and turned to me. "When you look at her, I see something in your eyes that makes you a better father than most… you look at Kairi and I don't just see love. I see dreams about her future and expectations of her that may push her to her limits but will make her stronger… you're the kind of father that will show Kairi that she can be better than she ever thought she could be… and Kairi will learn that when she's down for count you'll be right behind her to make sure she gets back on her feet. You're the kind of father I've always wanted to be… you inspire me to be a better person and a better father and I won't give that up. No matter how many times we may disagree, I won't run from one of the best things that's ever happened to me," Sora's voice was filled with such conviction and when I looked at him, he had tears in his eyes.

"Kairi has two fathers, it wouldn't work any other way. I may be the captain of this ship but I need a first mate to cover all of my shortcomings." Sora giggled and wiped his eyes.

"And what does that make Kairi in this analogy?" I asked.

"She's the royal passenger of our ship… she says where she wants to go and we'll take her there," Sora smiled at Kairi's sleeping form before taking my hand. He leaned in to whisper in my ear.

"I think it's time we christened the hammock." He smirked at me and my eyes widened when I actually saw desire darken his baby-blues.

I returned the smirk. "Hell yeah!" I said and pulled Sora down the hall and stairs before leaving the front door for the porch.

I felt my heart speed up in excitement. If there was one thing I loved, it was the idea of kissing Sora where others could see. Anybody who happened to pass our house would see that Sora was all mine.

Sora giggled and I let go of his arm so that I could take his waist. I hummed in satisfaction when Sora pressed his lips to mine. He wrapped his arms around my neck and sighed before backing himself up against the front of the house.

I slid my tongue along his bottom lip and Sora opened his mouth for me to re-explore. I lowered my hands to his hips and slowly let my hands creep underneath his shirt.

Sora broke from the kiss to breathe before pulling away from me. I eyed him possessively.

"The hammock Riku…" He said simply and laid back on the hammock. His voice was dark with lust and the way he just lazily splayed himself out for me got my blood pumping heatedly.

He didn't even care that he wasn't behind closed doors. The only thing hiding him from the outside world was the porch banister.

Oh fuck, I wanted him so bad… I just wanted to be his undoing… I wanted to destroy him in the most pleasurable way…

Then suddenly he sat up, looking unsure. "Riku? I was being to forward wasn't I? I kept telling myself that was a turn o-" I interrupted his sentence with my lips crashing into his as I all but threw myself onto Sora and the hammock. It swung back and forth dangerously but I continued to attack his mouth with my own.

When the hammock leveled out again I pulled from Sora and looked down at him, "This is a damn good hammock," I said with a smile and Sora looked at me, his face lightly flushed and eyes sharp with hunger. "I told you," he answered before pressing kisses to my neck.

I shivered at his attentions before I situated myself directly over him. I slid my hands beneath his shirt and pressed my leg against his groin.

He groaned softly before bringing his arms up and around me. I pressed my lips to his once more and I lowered my body to press flush against his. His hands moved to my hair and I sighed in pleasure before trailing my kisses to his ear.

"Haah…" Sora moaned lightly and I grinded against him. That's it Sora, just like that.

Moan for me.

"Ahah… Ri…" He closed his eyes and pressed himself up to me.

I growled lowly before kissing Sora's neck. I looked to the mark on Sora's neck and I bit it again for good measure.

"Riku!" He yelped with a gasp of air and arched himself upwards to meet me again. I gave a small grunt in reply before setting to work on our heated members. I moved one of my exploring hands down to his pants I opened them slowly and I palmed Sora gently through his boxers.

"Ahn! God!" Sora moaned and writhed underneath me, causing me to shift my weight.

Then the hammock promptly flipped us over and onto the porch.

We landed with a loud thud and Sora yelped at the suddenness of his body smacking the floor.

I groaned at the stinging feeling of my back and I looked to see Sora rolling onto his back.

He looked at me and burst into laughter. His entire body shook with mirth against the white porch floorboards.

And I just watched him laugh from my spot down on the porch. He had never looked as beautiful to me as he did at this moment.

"I love you…" I whispered.

Sora gasped. "I-I… love you… too!" He said through his peals of laughter.

I couldn't help myself and soon we were both laughing hysterically on the porch.

"Uh… did I miss something?" I took deep breaths to stifle my laughter when I heard Cloud's voice.

"N-no, you're good… How's it been Cloud?" I asked and Sora sat up before smiling at Cloud.

"Yeah, we haven't seen you in a while. Did you miss us?" Sora asked.

"Well I just wanted to check on you guys, make sure everything was okay… I feel like it's my duty or something," Cloud said and I smiled.

"We're great, Cloud. If you had come to see us last week we would have been kinda bad, but we worked it out," Sora said and Cloud moved over to the hammock and sat.

"That's good, this is really nice," Cloud said mentioning the hammock, which only caused Sora to break into giggles again.

"Thank you, Sora made it for us. Where's Zell?" Cloud shrugged.

"He's at a friend's house. These two twins named-"

"Kasai and Rakurai," I finished and Cloud looked at me.

"Yeah, they're really cute, but they're a lot of work if you don't keep your eye on them," Cloud said.

"So who are these kids?" Sora asked.

"Zell and Kairi's new playmates, she wanted to go play with them at their house but we were fighting then and she didn't want to ask," I explained.

"Oh… well I don't see the harm in having her play with them. If Cloud let Zell go then they have to be nice people," Sora said with a smile.

"Kairi will be glad to hear that," I said and stood. "You want to come inside Cloud? I wouldn't mind having a couple beers," Riku asked and Cloud smiled.

"Sure thing," he said and stood.

Sora clambered to his feet and snickered. "Cloud's lonely because his son isn't home, so he came here."

"So?" Cloud griped.

Sora wrapped an arm around Cloud and sighed. "I don't blame you. It's boring without a kid in the house," Sora said.

"Sora, your pants are open…" Cloud trailed and I laughed when Sora flushed and scrambled to fasten his pants.

"Is this going to become a habit, Sora?" I asked as I pulled beers from the fridge and Sora stuck his tongue out at me before he spoke.

"Well, maybe if you'd stop teasing me and just take my pants off, I wouldn't have that problem!" Sora piped and Cloud and I paused what we were doing to look at him.

When it finally dawned on Sora what he had said, his face flushed violently and he covered his face in embarrassment. "I can't believe I just said that!" he said.

I laughed and handed Cloud a beer before walking over to my boyfriend. I pressed a cold beer to his bright red ear and said, "I'll remember that next time."

His face was still bright red when he moved to grab the beverage from my hand.

"I was right to come here, you guys are entertaining!" Cloud said and I chuckled.

"Well, we had some good news today didn't we, Sora?" I prompted.

"Yeah! I got my first paycheck today from 81 Produce! I'm officially employed! I want to throw a party or something!" Sora piped.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea, Sora," I said and Cloud smiled.

"Sounds like a blast. Make sure to schedule it when I'm free!" Cloud said and took a swig of his beer.

Sora laughed. "Yeah, okay. Then you can finally meet the people I've been working with!"

"Sounds great."

It was a really nice feeling to be able to watch Sora talk casually with our friend Cloud at the kitchen bar. I looked towards the stairs and closed my eyes, wishing Kairi sweet dreams though my thoughts.

"You okay, Riku?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, I really am…"

A/N: There! A WHOLE chapter of Riku's point of view… I hope you guys thought it was a nice change of pace. By the way, the names Kasai and Rakurai are suggestions from Lone DragonWolf of the Flames… so thanks! They mean Fire and Lightning in Japanese.

**VeniVediVici: **Thanks for the review, Leon just went off to blow some steam. Poor guy felt like he was being one upped by an amateur.

**Izzyred: **Thank you! And yeah, I could see that some people stories had chapter names, but I had no idea how to do that and suddenly it hit me and I was so proud of myself that I had finally figured it out! XD

**PearlsXofXsin: **Riku's just setting Leon straight… and yeah, if Sora ever found out, he wouldn't be too happy about it. Oh and sorry, sometimes I forget about that stuff! I hope this chapter had enough context clues, if not, I'll start writing translations! XD And awe, tell your son I said 'Hi!'

**Coffemug: **It's all good, I don't really care if there are numbers or not, as long as I know its you! Thanks so much and wow! Calling my fanfiction LITERATURE just… wow, that makes me feel important or something! XD Hehe! I've always thought it would be so much fun to be with someone of a different culture… I feel like it would be a real eye-opener, you know… sometimes I forget that we're not all Americans! Thanks so much for your review, it's not drabble at all! And arigatou gozaimasu, Hatori-san! :D Oh! And by the way, thanks so much for your support! Though I was highly amused by that dumb flame, it made me feel good to see your second comment!

**Muffy: **Hehe! I think I know some of my readers better than most when it comes to writing what they want to read… but sometimes that's just my hubris speaking… so it's not all the time that I get it right! XD And yes, I thought about making it seem like Leon was interested but he really wasn't… I'm on the fence about it but something coming up will change that. (hint, hint) Yeah, Sora realized that if he really loved Riku, he shouldn't really give a rat's ass about what anybody else thinks. And yeah, as much as I would love to figure out what the Japanese is in REAL Japanese… a lot of my readers would have NO CLUE what it meant… and sometimes, neither would I. Completely illiterate when it comes to katakana, hiragana, or kanji… Thanks so much and my sister is doing well! :D

**MrCoopCake: **Of course I care! Just because I've never seen you before and stuff doesn't mean that I wouldn't care if you were having a hard time. I'm really glad everything is okay! And don't worry! My sister is getting better and better… (and consequently a little bit annoying! XD) Yeah! PLUSHIES! SO CUTE! Thanks so much! Love you too, friend!

**Aki-chan26: **Yeah, Kairi is so charming that even Vinnie couldn't resist! And don't worry, Leon will see the light soon (hint hint). And yeah, you can talk official employment after so long in two directions, Sora took it the better way! XD Thanks for the review! And get some sleep! It's important to sleep… in fact, I LOVE sleep! But coffee's good too! XD

**HarleyQuinFTW: **Yeah, they are, but I'll only drop hints… I'm not going to focus much on them because I want this to be a SoRiku 100 percent! :D

**Dreamy Duskywing: **Hehe! And DUDE! That's AWESOME! Mad respect for your dad for serving his country! And Oooo, Italian men in uniform… why does that sound so magnificently beautiful and drool worthy? Thanks so much for your review! Yeah, Kairi wants to be as close to Riku as she is with Sora so she's trying her hardest to learn something from Riku that will bring them together. And I think if I even had a bilingual friend I would be like TEACH ME! You got the right idea with Leon, don't worry! Thanks again!

**Sayonara7: **Hehe, he bought something they all could enjoy! And no need to worry about Leon (hint hint)…

**Formidable Rain: **It's all good, laziness is the way to GREATNESS! Yay! That's good that I have good timing! :D Yes, Sora is still a dunderhead… but don't worry Leon will learn soon that Sora's not the one for him… Thanks so much for the review!

**XxRenThyRavenxX: **Yes and me too! And no, Leon may be jealous but he's not crazy or particularly spiteful. He'll be okay! :D

**AliceofHoenn: **Hehe, don't worry, see! I already typed this chapter and it's only been a couple of days!

**Alcorion: **Awe, don't hate Leon! He'll see the light and he's not a mean person, Riku and Leon were just having manly competition over Sora! He lost… poor thing… And YES I personally love Sephiroth more than Leon… but that's because I seem to find all characters with muscles and long silver hair to be very attractive. Heheh! A weakness of mine! And plus Seph has an AMAZING theme song!

**Lunahalo: **Yay! Thanks! And yes! Cloud is back! :D

**DeViLaNgEl11: **Hehe! Thanks! Sora has amazing concentration skills! XD

**The Fuzzy Ficus: **Nah! Don't worry! Your life sounds like a party! Hehe! Yes, I am very sneaky! Leon will realize there are better fish for him in the sea of LOVE! And yeah, I really didn't realize that you could change it so easily! And Hahah! Yeah, I think we would all love virtual cookie senders.

**Cazzylove: **YAY! Thanks Caz!

**Sailor Neo Angel: **Yay! Thanks for reviewing!

**MayaDarkling: **Hehe! Thanks for your long review! I'm glad your liking or my other writing finally prompted you to read this! Thanks so much again!

**RedWords: **Yeah, well I knew that people had chapter titles, I just didn't know HOW to change them… I just figured it out! XD Thanks!

**KatzeSchnee: **Nope! Not this time at least! Hahah!

**ChocolateGummiBears: **Thanks so much for the review my friend!

**INessie: **That's just how Riku is! He's a bad boy! XD Leon will see the light soon! Thanks so much for the feedback!

**Joxas: **Heheheh! Yeah, I'm totally cheesy like that! Thank for the review!

**Cj Quinn: **Thanks… yeah, I wish I could have realized how to change it sooner… then I would have put chapter titles on my other stories to make them look more fancy! XD And yeah, Sora's a pro!

**Lightmaster: **YAY! Leon will meet someone soon (hint!) And Sora bought something for the family to enjoy!

**D.E.W.P.: **Yeah! Sora, is completely fearless in a recording studio! Sora, still a little to chicken to buy that kind of stuff! And the hammock is fun for all! Oh and by the way… Red Eyes Black Dragon and Blue Eyes White Dragon as Yin and Yang… coolest thing ever!

**TayTayXD: **Hehe! Thanks Tay! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Yana5: **Nope, he's a doctor through and through… and he's only good at kissing Sora… when it comes to actually acting, we don't really know! Thanks for the review!

**DannyRockwell: **Hehe! Yes he is!

**I HATE YOU: **If that was supposed to hurt my feelings, you failed… in fact you only succeeded in sounding like a complete idiot! Thanks for making me laugh and giving me a review, hun! And by the way, if you end up reading this, it means you should probably reevaluate yourself, because you're probably in denial about loving homosexual erotica… good luck with that.

**Harold: **Thanks so much! Vinnie's really a softie but he doesn't want people to know! XD

**Daota1: **Thanks again for having my back, bro! :D

**Natural Chaos: **I literally didn't know that's how you could change the chapter title! It was a random epiphany moment that needed to by commemorated by a chapter title change! Hehe! Thanks for the review!

**Animesaki: **Yep! Kairi is unafraid and all powerful! Don't worry you shall see what happens!

**Kaoru-chibimaster: **HAHAH! RUN VINCENT RUN! (screams while secretly grabbing a pitchfork and joining the hunt)

**CheshyCatGrin: **Thank you for loving this! And yeah, I don't really know if I would appreciate odd looks form random students in the library! Thanks a lot though! I LOVE YOU!

**Mudkipluvr4ever: **Thanks! Leon's not dating Cloud…. YET! :D

**Lone DragonWolf of the Flames: **Hehe! Of course, Riku has to mark his territory from other sexy men! I'm working on another chapter but I'm debating on something. And I hope you liked my use of your idea! Thanks!

**Nami1415: **Heheh! Yeah, I'm glad you thought it was as amusing as I thought it was! And YES! YOU CAN! YAY!

**Dragonrose21: **Thanks so much! AND I AM SO CLOSE I WILL GET 100 BY THE NEXT CHAPTER I THINK! YAY!

**TigerRaiken: **Thank so much, my Tiger friend!

**Guest 1: **THANK YOU! AND YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL FOR READING AND REVIEWING! I hope you liked this chapter! :D


	27. Trouble

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I got 99 problems and unfortunately, not owning Kingdom Hearts is one of 'em…

LET'S MAKE IT 1000 THIS CHAPTER GUYS! YOU CAN DO IT! I'll be so happy!

Chapter 27

Surprisingly, the past month and a half has been ridiculously busy for both Riku and I. I was busy finishing up recording and editing for Coincidence Lover and Riku was busy helping Zexion with their up coming Pediatrics Conference they were hosting soon.

I could tell Riku was really excited about it. He loved meeting doctors and being able to talk to them about his passion, kid's health.

Believe me, I would know. For the past month, Riku has been talking me to sleep with his excited rambling about different childen's diseases. It was interesting and informative… but also kinda morbid… so sometimes REALLY gross.

But due to our current busyness, Riku and I have been coming home late at night, having absolutely _no _time or energy to do anything other than sleep.

And while we've been so busy, my mom has been a great help with Kairi. Jane has been picking up and dropping Kairi off at school every morning and feeding her dinner and helping her with schoolwork.

All the things that Riku and I _wish _we could be doing.

But my mom had no problem with it… if there was one thing she loved better than being Ma…

It was being _Grand_ma.

Riku and I are doing our best though… even if we get home at impossibly late hours in the evening, we always wake up early to wake up Kairi together and have breakfast with her.

Even if it means missing that much needed extra hour of sleep.

There are two things I really wanted that I couldn't have because of being busy:

One of them is my celebratory get together for my official employment… something tells me I'm better off just waiting for a cast party once Coincidence Lover takes lift off.

The other is my Japanese lessons with Riku! Kairi's already basically bilingual while I'm completely clueless when she tells me things in Japanese without realizing.

So far I've only learned a few basic things, mostly over breakfast with Kairi and Riku:

"_Riku…" I started and looked over to him while pouring apple juice for Kairi._

"_Yes, darling?" He replied with a small smile._

"_Teach me Japanese!" I piped pathetically and Kairi giggled._

"_I want to give Daddy a Japanese lesson!" she exclaimed._

"_Okay but what are the magic words?" Riku asked._

"_Uhhh… please and thank you?" I suggested, completely clueless._

"_No! Daddy! You have to say onegaishimasu," Kairi laughed._

"… _onegai… shimasu?" I said nervously hoping I said it right._

"_Yeah! Onegaishimasu, Riku-sensei!" Kairi prompted again and I sighed._

_I can do this!_

"_Onegaishimasu, Riku-sensei…" I said slowly and frowned when Riku had the _largest _smirk I had ever seen on his face._

"_Something smirk-worthy that I'm missing here, Riku?" I asked slightly affronted. _

"_I just think you should say the words like you actually mean them…" Riku said and Kairi nodded._

"_If you say it like you mean it, the proper voice inflections might come naturally!" Kairi piped and I looked at her with a smile._

_I walked over to her, handed her her juice, and planted a big kiss on her head. "You are so smart!" I gushed and took a big whiff of her because I loved the way she smelled like home._

_Kairi blushed a little. "Thank you, Daddy." _

_With a deep breath I turned to Riku with determination before sitting next to him and taking his face in my hands. "Onegaishimasu, Riku-sensei," I begged pathetically, hoping he would finally give in and teach me more._

_He shivered a little and I saw lust spark in his aquamarines before they calmed once more._

"_Hai," he answered and looked at Kairi._

"_Well, a family doesn't really act like a family until you know the right expressions…" Riku started and Kairi nodded._

"_Say Sora's about to leave for work, before he goes, he should say 'Ittekimasu!'" Riku supplied and I nodded._

"_Ittekimasu!" I repeated with vigor and Kairi gave an encouraging laugh._

"_That means, I'm leaving," she said and I smiled at her before nodding._

"_Now, when Sora's leaving, it's our job to wish you well. We'll say 'Itterasshai!'" _

"_Itterasshai?" I repeated, unsure._

"_Yep! And we could also say 'Kiotsukete!' or 'take care of yourself, be careful!'" Kairi supplied and I nodded._

"_Kiotsukete! What about when I come back?" I asked._

"_You say, 'Tadaima!'" Riku said._

"_It that like 'Honey, I'm home!'" I asked._

_Riku and Kairi laughed before nodding. "You could put it that way," Riku stated._

"_And of course after you say, 'Tadaima!" we welcome you home with 'Okaerinasai,' or just 'Okaeri!'" Kairi finished and I smiled._

"_That's beautiful," I said and looked at my family. "Thank you for teaching me this… uhhh… domo arigatou, right?" I looked at them, hoping I didn't sound like an idiot._

_Riku took my hand gently and pressed his lips to the back of it. He looked me in the eyes with such sincerity. _

"_Honto ni arigatou, Sora…aishiteru yo." Riku said and I smiled. _

"_No problem..." I replied in a slight daze before returning to my meal. _

_After a few minutes of eating and talking about plans for the day, I finished my food and put my plate away. "Alright guys, I gotta head to work. Err… Ittekimasu." I blushed and moved to leave._

"_Itterasshai, Sora," Riku replied._

"_Kiotsukete, papa!" Kairi exclaimed and I felt my heart warm before exiting the house. _

Kairi and Riku have made a point to tell me that every time I leave the house now, even when I forget to say 'I'm leaving.' It's actually really cute, because Kairi will always stop whatever she's doing and run to catch me no matter where she is in the house, just to say 'Take care!'

I really loved hearing them wish me off, and I loved doing the same when Riku or Kairi left before me.

I sighed, I missed spending time with my family. But I also really loved working on this anime. Being here, at the studio, made me feel as though I could do anything. It wasn't hard to live and breathe your character and sometimes it was really hard to take a step back. I think I was the only who had to concentrate on that, though. That was probably because I was still a newbie. Leon and Roxas didn't seem to have a problem at all.

Though I was pretty sure Roxas and Axel were getting kind of close outside of the studio as well. I turned to Leon and smiled, "Hey, Leon… do you think Axel and Roxas really like each other or do you think they're just a little caught up in their characters?" I asked.

"They've been an item since before we started recording. They work together on a lot of things like this because of that reason," Leon answered.

"Oh…" I said and then felt rather miffed suddenly. Why didn't Roxas tell me about this? We basically tell each other everything. It wasn't like I would be mad or try and break them apart. And if Roxas wanted me to keep quiet about it, I could do that too.

"Don't take it to heart, Sora. Roxas probably figured that you already knew. It wasn't like he was deliberately keeping a secret from you or something," Leon said and ruffled my hair a little. "I was gonna go have lunch, want to come with?" he asked and I smiled brightly.

"Yeah!" I exclaimed and stood. I was starving!

"We should leave now, we have to be back before two… and then we do the editing of the end of season two," Leon said.

I smiled. "And then we'll be done until we air?" I asked.

"Yep, and then it's up to the public whether or not we're a success."

"That makes me a little nervous." I bit my lip.

Leon chuckled and leaned in to kiss my nose before saying Ryuichi's line, "Satoshi, worrying is unnecessary, real success comes from being sure of your abilities."

I laughed and replied with Satoshi's line, "If worry was a testament of failure, I would probably be dead by now…"

"Come on, Sora. If anybody was unsure of this anime's success, it wouldn't have been recorded and we'd be out of a job!" Leon said with a smile.

I followed after him with a smile. When Leon was comfortable enough to talk to you, he really had a way of making people feel at ease. He was a real friend.

-Hello, Doctor-

Riku's POV

It was a normal day at the clinic where everything was running smoothly and all the preparations for our conference were coming to a close…

That was until a family came rushing in with a small little boy screaming in pain. Naminé sent me a look and I nodded before moving over to the family quickly.

"What seems to be the problem, guys?" I asked calmly and looked to the child's mother. She sent me a frazzled look and began quickly.

"He was playing in the backyard and all of a sudden he limps inside the house screaming! He won't let me touch him and he won't calm down enough to tell us what happened. I think he sprained his ankle maybe? I don't know but please just tell me what's wrong with him so that I can fix it. I hate seeing him like this!" Her words flew from her mouth in such a panic but luckily I was used to her alarmed way of talking.

The little boy continued to scream and cry, even as Naminé and the other nurses tried to calm him down. "I hate doing this but Nami, we might need a sedative," I said and moved over to the crying child.

"What is his name?" I asked.

"Tommy," the mother said.

"Tommy," I said and looked into his anguished gaze, "I really don't want to give you a shot of sedative, it's no fun. Can I take you to the back room? There's a water fountain," I suggested in the gentlest voice I could manage.

The boy continued to cry and I very slowly and very softly put a hand on his shoulder to lead him to one of the back rooms.

He flinched and began to scream hysterically. I frowned. Children didn't just flinch and scream for no reason.

"Tommy," I said firmly but softly. "When you were playing in the back yard, did someone try to hurt you?" I asked.

Tommy stopped screaming and looked at me, completely startled. Tears were still streaming down his face as he nodded.

"Tommy, did this person hurt you badly?" I asked and the little boy nodded.

"What did this person do to you?" I asked gently.

Tommy's cries started up again and I looked over to Tommy's mother. "I know this must be scary for you, but I need to take him to one of the back rooms and talk to him privately. I don't think he's comfortable with all the people out here," I said and the mother nodded with a terrified look on her face.

"Please, do whatever is necessary." Her voice shook.

I nodded and opened my hand for Tommy to take. "Tommy, I promise that nothing bad is going to happen, okay? Can you take my hand?" I asked.

The little boy placed his trembling, little hand in mine. "I'm Dr. Riku, and I'm going to make sure everything will be okay."

Tommy seemed to wheeze in an attempt to calm himself. I pulled him slowly to one of the back rooms and closed the door. I let go of his hand and kneeled so that Tommy and I were eye to eye. "Tommy, what happened in the backyard today?" I asked softly.

"I-I was p-playing in my s-sandbox wh-when C-Collin climbed th-the gate into our yard…" he said slowly and I nodded. "Who's Collin, Tommy?" I asked.

"Collin is my next door neighbor…" He said, more clearly this time.

"And what did Collin do?" I asked.

"H-he said w-we were gonna play a g-grown-up game… h-he pulled me into m-my d-daddy's shed and… a-and," Tommy sobbed miserably. "I-I DIDN'T LIKE THE GAME! IT HURT AND COLLIN WOULDN'T L-LET ME CALL TIME OUT!" Tommy screamed desperately before crying hysterically once more.

I felt the blood in my body freeze when I heard Tommy's story. I pulled Tommy into a hug and he grabbed tightly onto my lab coat. I petted his head and rubbed his back gently in an attempt to calm him down. After ten minutes I looked to Tommy and spoke, "Tommy, I have to check down there and see if you're bleeding on the inside… you're not going to like it, but it needs to be done okay?" I said and Tommy bit his lip.

"Is Mommy gonna f-find out? She'll be m-mad that I-I agreed to pl-play a game like that!" Tommy cried out in fear.

"Tommy, your Mom isn't going to mad with you. I promise. You didn't do anything wrong, okay Tommy? What Collin did to you was very bad… so bad that I have to tell the police," I said.

Tommy looked so afraid and I wanted nothing more than to take him into my arms once more. But instead I paged Nami to bring in Tommy's mother.

When I told her the truth about Tommy's situation, she burst into tears and scooped her son into her arms. She told Tommy how about how brave he was and how strong he was being. Tommy latched onto his mother tightly and there was the tiniest smile on his face when he was finally safe in her arms.

The whole situation was terrible and by the end of the examination, the police report, and everything else… I was exhausted and frustrated with the world.

"Riku, we did all we can for that boy… and he's going to be okay. Time will heal him…" Larxene said gently and I sent her a smile before sighing.

I jumped at the sound of my phone ringing and I pulled it from my pocket to see Jane's number. I picked it up. "Hi Jane, is something wrong?" I asked.

"I have a dilemma. My air-con broke down and I am currently supervising the repairman. And I really don't feel comfortable leaving some stranger in my house while I go pick up Kairi from school. I know Sora's still being worked like a dog, so I was wondering if maybe you had a little more time on your hands," Jane said and I smiled.

Picking up Kairi would make me feel much better. "I'll pick her up, in fact, I'd love to pick her up."

"Thank you so much, Riku. You're a lifesaver, hun," she said and I chuckled.

"It's no problem. I miss my baby when she's at school anyway," I replied with a wistful sigh.

Jane giggled. "Kairi's lucky to have you and Sora as her fathers."

"Thanks, Jane. I hope your air-con gets back to working order," I said.

"Thank _you_, Riku," she said and we hung up.

"I get to pick up Kairi from school for the first time," I said with a smile and Nami squealed.

"I'm so happy for you Riku. It's one thing to finally have Sora as your boyfriend, but to have him accept you as Kairi's second father is a love on a whole different level," she said and I smiled wider.

"Yeah, I'm most likely the luckiest man on earth…" I trailed before heading towards the door. "Tell your husband to get his ass up and cover for me if anyone comes," I said and headed out.

When I reached the school, I got out of the car and headed to the play yard where I assumed Kairi would be. I looked around and when I spotted Kairi, she was talking to two other kids. I walked over to Kairi and scooped her up from behind.

She yelped at first but laughed when she realized it was me. I smiled at her, "Are you ready to go?" I asked.

"Yeah!" Kairi said and waved to her friends before I carried her off.

"Wait! Wait! You havta sign me out!" Kairi laughed and I chuckled.

"Show me the ropes, Ri-chan, I don't know how this works!" I exclaimed.

She ran into the building and I followed close behind her. "You have to sign me out. You sign the time and your name!" she piped happily.

I smiled. "Thanks, Ri-chan." I wrote the time and my name on the paper before taking Kairi's hand and moving towards the door.

"Excuse me."

We exited the building.

"EXCUSE ME, SIR! Where are you going with that child?" A woman yelled and I turned to see who the hell this lady was yelling at.

She was barreling towards me.

"Are you talking to me?" I asked.

"Yes, I am! Identify yourself." She demanded and I frowned.

"My name is Riku Uchida," I answered simply.

"Well Mr. Uchida, I'm going to call the police if you don't release that little girl's hand!" she bellowed.

I growled. "_That little girl _has a _name!" _I snapped angrily. "Her name is Kairi, and don't talk to me like I'm some criminal!"

"I'm sorry, but I don't feel comfortable letting Kairi leave with a complete stranger," she said and my jaw dropped.

I couldn't believe it! They thought I was some kind of childnapper or something. "I'm here to bring Kairi home… she _lives with me!_" I said.

"You don't _look _like Kairi's father or her Grandmother… you just look suspicious… coming here, not knowing how to sign the child out in the first place, and then acting hostile when I ask questions! I'm not going to let that girl go with you so you can hurt her!" she snapped.

I felt my anger boil to a dangerously high level. They were accusing me of being a pedophile! "Stop calling Kairi that child or that girl! It's rude! And how _DARE _you accuse me of something like that! I come here to pick up Kairi for the first time and I get wrongly accused of something so horrible? This is ridiculous! Let's go Kairi, we don't need to be here anymore," I said angrily and began to walk, I let go of Kairi's hand to show that I wasn't forcing her to follow and Kairi moved to trail behind me, until the woman grabbed her arm.

"Kairi, that is _not _your father!" the woman said and Kairi huffed.

"Yes he is!" Kairi said and struggled from her grip. "Let go!"

"Please let go of Kairi!" I said firmly. Kairi pulled from the lady's grasp and ran to me.

"Kairi, come back! That man is dangerous!" She yelled and pulled Kairi again and she immediately began to cry.

"Stop it!" I yelled.

"I'm calling her father about this!" the woman yelled.

"Oh! _PLEASE _do! Call him and see what happens!" I snapped angrily. I couldn't wait until Sora set her straight.

-Hello, Doctor-

Roxas and I were in the recording room editing a scene when I noticed Vincent come into the studio. The recording stopped and I frowned.

We would have to re-edit that scene all over again.

"Is there something wrong? Why'd you just bust in here?" I asked.

"Sora, there's a woman on the phone from a school. She says it's an emergency." He said with concern spinning in his eyes.

I felt my heart stop. "Kairi!" I yelped and ran to Vincent's office, Roxas trailing behind me.

I grabbed the phone. "Hello? What's wrong?" I asked anxiously.

"Mr. Smith, who's picking up Kairi today?" the head counselor asked.

"Her grandmother…" I said in confusion.

"There's a suspicious man trying to take Kairi and he won't leave without her!" She said in alarm.

My blood froze over as fury and anger came crashing over me. "Well _don't let her leave! _Do you hear me? I'm on my way right now!" I yelled into the phone and hung up before running out the office.

"I have to go! Kairi's in danger!" I yelled and Roxas ran after me.

"I'm coming with you!" Roxas said and I nodded my thanks.

We climbed into my car quickly and sped off towards the elementary school.

-Hello, Doctor-

Riku's POV

"Kairi's father is on his way and he said not to let Kairi leave with you!" the crazy lady said holding Kairi in tow.

She was crying and whimpering and I felt my anger begin to over flow. "You are _hurting _Kairi!" I yelled.

"She's fine where she is and her father will be here soon!" she snapped.

"What?" I yelled incredulously. "Did you tell him that Riku Uchida was here to pick up Kairi?" I asked.

She paused in her retort and hissed. "That doesn't matter, he's coming to take her home where she belongs!" she called.

"YEAH, HER HOME IS MY HOUSE!" I yelled furiously.

"Riku! I w-want to go ho-home!" Kairi cried and I felt my anger sizzle and simmer down.

"It's gonna be okay, Ri-chan… Daddy's coming to set this straight," I said.

"So you admit that you aren't her father!" The woman yelled.

"I'M HER OTHER FATHER!" I finally yelled. I was SO tired of this!

"Kairi! Baby, where are you!" I heard Sora yell worriedly with Roxas looking around as well. I watched as Kairi bust into hysterical sobs as she ran to her father. He scooped her up and looked to me.

"Riku! Whoo, I'm glad you got here sooner! Where's the bastard who tried to take my daughter? Did they call you too, about the suspicious man?" Sora asked and I sighed.

"D-Daddy! They were yelling at Ri-Riku when he c-came to p-pick m-me up! Th-they s-said he w-was dangerous!" Kairi sobbed and Sora frowned.

-Hello, Doctor-

It took me a second to process Kairi's words and when I finally understood, I felt anger boil in my chest. I handed Kairi to Riku and looked to the head counselor.

"What's the meaning of this?" I asked and Roxas spoke.

"They obviously jumped to conclusions and didn't give you enough details for you to understand the situation over the phone."

I growled. "Ms. Dryton… your suspicious man is named Riku Uchida and he's my boyfriend. Obviously, my mother had something important to do and asked Riku to pick Kairi up instead. I can't believe this happened… I can't tell you how disappointed and unsatisfied I am with how you handled the situation. You should be more responsible with how you handle the kids and how you address people you aren't sure of… if you had told me it was Riku that came, I could have explained this over the phone and not here where everyone can listen in on my business… You've scared my daughter and you've made my boyfriend feel unsafe here… What do you have to say for yourself?" I asked calmly.

Ms. Dryton had the decency to look guilty and looked to Riku. "I _sincerely _apologize for what just happened. Sora was right… I didn't handle that well at all… but I was afraid for Kairi, usually parents call in when someone else is picking up their child… I just, I jumped to conclusions and for that I am _very _sorry," she said and Riku nodded.

"I'm sorry this had to happen… I expect better next time," He said as he rubbed Kairi's back.

"I am really sorry, a concerned parent came to me and told me that she knew what Kairi's father looked like and that the guy taking Kairi was not him… it put me on edge and forced me to conclusions that were irrational," Ms. Dryton supplied.

"Well, whoever that parent was needs to mind her own business…" I grumbled angrily.

"Mrs. Sugimoto didn't mean any harm, I'm sure… she was just trying to look out her her sons' friend," the counselor said.

"Th-that's Kasai and Rakurai's mama!" Kairi said and I sighed.

"Anyway, what's done is done and I just think it's time we put this behind us. Don't let it happen again," I said firmly and put a hand on Riku's back to guide him towards the exit.

A/N: I know a lot of y'all were expecting a party in this chapter… and that is happening soon, but I needed to brew some trouble first. So I made this chapter long for you guys! Thanks so much!

**Yana5: **YES! AND HE SHOULD! :D

**AliceofHoenn: **Thanks so much! XD

**Coffemug: **Yeah! The language is just so beautiful… there's just so much behind it… it's sensitive, there's a lot of feeling backing the language that gets lost in the English language sometimes. And that's neat! Hehe! I've never actually met someone with an Engrish accent! Haha! I've only heard it on the internet! Thanks a lot!

**ChocolateGummiBears: **Yeah, I wanted something unexpected for them! Thanks so much for your review! I hope you're enjoying the yaoi!

**Joxas: **Ahah! They'll get there! I promise! XD

**Sayonara7: **Yeah, they are kinda similar! I didn't even notice! Thanks so much for your feedback! Get some sleep! It's important!

**MrCoopCake: **Thank you so much! I have no idea what kind of pay a voice actor gets… but I once was offered an audition for a movie and they told me that the more time I spend working on set, the more you get paid, like EXPONETIALLY! It was like, if I went for one day, I got paid 900 and if I went two days it was 1500 and they just add on money more and more. So I was kinda basing the pay range off of that. WOW! Is Ralph a Narwhal? I love unicorns of the sea!

**Anastaisya: **Yeah, it's nice every once in a while… you can see the difference in how the characters think and process things. Thanks!

**Guest 1: **Hehe! Yeah, MAYBE… the party will be soon! Don't worry!

**X0xCherryBlossonx0x: **Yeah, Ghibli movies make me cry half the time… they're so engaging! And yeah, you'll see about Leon! XD Thanks!

**Lone DragonWolf of the Flames: **Yep! I used them! And you'll see them described soon as well. Thanks so much!

**Leviathan of the Sea: **Yeah! I think so too! Heh! I'm going to have to research more Japanese so that I don't sound like an idiot first! XD Thanks!

**Mochiusagi: **Yeah, the hammock was looking out for Sora's chastity! XD Thank you very much!

**Izzyred: **Thanks… I was worried it would be terrible! Thanks for the review!

**Bluestar498: **You are so nice! Thanks for your words of encouragement! Yeah, that theme song is SO catchy! Hehe! Yeah, I put some thought into it! I wanted the anime to seem legit. AWWW! I hope that didn't scar you! Hammocks can be so nice! Sometimes it doesn't take long to type an update… like this one I did while on the road to Baton Rouge. My sister needed to move into her dorm. It's actually replying to the reviews that takes a while… but I like getting to know my readers just a little bit better this way!

**MidnightxMusic: **I know, not really worth my time… but it was a good laugh! XD Probably a troll! That or a hatesterbater! I know! I had a hammock when I was little but I had three siblings and we all wanted to get on the hammock at once so it would always tip over! They ruin my fun! DX Hahah! Nah, I love those guys, even if they're a little special! XD I'm glad you're loving the story! YEAH! I'M ALMOST THERE!

**Muffy: **Hehehe! The hammock wants Sora all to itself! XD Thanks! And Vincent is a lone wolf… But Leon will get a mate someday! Thanks so much for your review!

**Lady Rabenschwarz: **Hehe! Thanks! XD

**Alcorion: **YES! It's. So. SEXY. I love you too! Hehe! Hmmm, I think about where I can put him! OH I KNOW! HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH! I'm not tellin'!

**Mudkipluvr4ever: **You'll see soon. It will all come to pass!

**TayTayXD: **Yeah! It's gonna be a LONG recipe! Thanks so much! YES COOKIES!

**D.E.W.P: **We're getting there! I promise! Yes, I love hammocks! AMEN! Let the christening begin! XD Yeah! I love Ed and Al… they are just so brotherly and wonderful! There are never too many exclamation marks! (Unless of course you're pairing it with all caps! Now THAT'S obnoxious sometimes!) XD

**Animesaki: **Thanks so much! Heheh! Sora is getting naughty! And no, Cloud's nice! Party will come later!

**RedWords: **Sankyuu! I hope you liked the update!

**XxRenThyRavenxX: **Oh it will probably go down hill… just not in that direction! XD Thanks so much for loving my story! You guys keep me particularly inspired! :D

**The Fuzzy Ficus: **Yay! You make me feel special inside! :D Here's another long chappie! Thanks so much! I try, you know? Yeah, it was funny… that person just needs a good lay and needs to get on with their life… lonely people do miserable things… Thanks for the update.

**Kingdomhearsluvr505: **It's fine! And your not retarded! If you like the story that OBVIOUSLY you are NOT retarded! XD And thank you for your kind words!

**INessie: **Heheh! Yes! Yeah, wow! I know how persuasive Coldplay can be… I feel like I've accomplished something! XD Thanks so so much!

**Lightmaster: **The party will come soon! Sorry it wasn't in this one! And Riku will get in those pants sooner than later!

**DeViLaNgEl11: **Yeah… HAHAH! Don't worry! No more interruptions! Hehe and yes, so true… he'll never live it down! XD

**Lulzinator: **THANKS!

**Natural Chaos: **YESS I'm so excited! Thanks!

**Formidable Rain: **I think we're all on that boat! Ship on, Cleon! Yeah! Some will stay straight but of course it wont be Axel, Roxas, Cloud, and Leon! Yep, Sora is learning! XD Thanks so much!

**Dragonrose21: **I didn't actually watch Totoro until I was older. The only Ghibli films I saw when I was little was Princess Mononoke (which scared the fuck out of me) and Spirited Away (which ALSO scared the fuck out of me!) Yeah, I was a sensitive little kid… I appreciated Miyazaki's films much more when I was older. Thanks for the review!

**The Fallen Angel13: **YAY! Thanks!

**Sam: **Yeah about that… I'll get there but I'm at a speed bump with TidusxZell… I'm on the fence about something and until I make the decision, I'm a little stuck! But I'll get there… just a little more patience.

**Nami1415: **See… most of that totally just flew over my head… the second line was saying update quickly right? Everything else… totally lost… And YAY! I wish I could speak Japanese! XD

**DannyRockwell: **I'm really glad you love it! Yeah, I'm a lot like you in that most of the time I'll only read half way because I get bored or it's too much of the same thing over and over again. So, yeah, I'm glad I could give you something good to read… I don't read fanfiction much anymore… just write it! :D

**Kaoru-chibimaster: **Oh Vinnie, he's a trickly little one! Yeah, Sora and Riku are silly like that! I'm glad you liked the chapter!

**Cbrookins1990: **They will meet soon! Don't worry! :D Thanks!

**Brittany: **Don't worry… if one person's all CAPS hate comment was enough to stop me, I'd probably be dead by now… I'm made of stronger stuff… and some people just need to get things out of their system… I hope that idiot felt better after writing the comment and moved on… the poor thing needs better things to do with their time… they're probably lonely… And why is it that EVERY Zackary I know or hear about has the middle name JAMES! It's because it rings well… It was definitely an option for one of my future children! Hehe! I love it! Thanks for the review!

**Cazzylove: **Thanks so muck, my lovely Caz!

**Naruxhinacrazy: **Hahah! Thanks, I try to make him as interesting as possible. Hahah! I love Cheshy… he's great! And can I just say that I LOVE YOU for reading that during a meeting! I wish I had enough balls to read fanfiction during work! XD You're not horrible, just BOLD! :D

**xXSoKuGirl0615Xx: **Of course I will continue! I love the story myself! It's very entertaining, even if I'm writing it! I crack myself up! (kind of a loser, but in a GOOD way!) Thanks so much for your review!

**Aki-chan26: **HEHEHE! Yeah, I'm EVIL! HAHAHAH! They'll finish eventually! (I say that every time don't I? XD) I love hammocks! Riku get's off on public displays of SEX! YAY CLOUD! I'm glad you see I'm going somewhere with this! :D Thanks so much!

**KatzeSchnee: **WOW! I have no idea it could be that bad… that must be so devastating… Anyway, thanks for the review!


	28. Chapter 28

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I'm not Disney or Square-enix, so…

WOOOOO! WE DID IT! At first I thought I was too ambitious, but we did it! 1000 plus reviews! I'm so HAPPEH! Now onto the next goal, be the most popular KH fanfiction writer on FFN! (JK! Now that would be a feat!) Anyway, thanks so EVERYONE for their support! It means so much to me!

Chapter 28

"CUT! AND THAT'S A WRAP! CONGRATS!" The recorder yelled when we finally finished the entire recording and editing of Coincidence Lover.

Everyone began to cheer and clap and I smiled when Roxas jumped into Axel's arms and kissed him passionately.

I smiled… though I kinda wish Riku was here so that I could commemorate this moment!

"Congratulations Sora, you made it!" Leon said and ruffled my hair. I smiled up at him and swatted at his hand.

"Thanks, Leon," I said and yawned. "I can't wait to get home and tell Riku about this! He'll be so proud!" I gushed with my cheeks slightly red.

Leon chuckled and took my wrist gently. "Let's find out when we air," he said and pulled me along.

"Airing? So soon? Don't we need to advertise first?" I asked.

"Have you not seen the trailers on television? It comes on all the time on Anime Network and I think Adult Swim too…" Leon said and my eyes widened.

"I had no idea! I was on TV already?" I yelped incredulously.

"Yeah, I guess you were distracted with other things… I mean, we were in the studio together when we recorded the trailer! You kept messing up on that one line, remember?" Leon prompted and my eyes widened.

"THAT WAS FOR A TRAILER? BUT I THOUGHT THAT WAS A GAG! I WOULD HAVE TAKEN IT MORE SERIOUSLY!" I yelled, completely shocked.

"Well, you must have done alright because the polls say that a lot of people are excited for this anime," Leon said as we moved into Vincent's office.

"I heard we're finally done… we air in a week," Vincent stated simply.

I felt my heart speed up in excitement. "Oh my God! I can't WAIT to tell Riku!" I said and smiled before leaving the office to get my phone.

I was gonna call him, I hope he wasn't too busy.

I grabbed my bag and pulled out my phone, I dialed Riku's number and waited for him to pick up.

"Hello? Sora?" I heard him say and I exploded.

"Riku! We finished recording today and my show is gonna air in a week! And I was already on TV! There was a trailer that I totally forgot about! But my show premiers NEXT WEEK!" I babbled.

"Wow! Sora, I'm so happy for you! We should celebrate!" Riku said, his voice leaking happiness. It sounded so good.

"Yeah! Roxas said he was throwing a cast party tonight, I asked if I could invite some people and he said that's fine… so can you see if Cloud can come? I have to call my mom and see about her watching Kairi tonight," I said.

"That sounds great, I'll talk to Cloud and hopefully everything works out," Riku replied.

"I really wish you were here so that I could kiss you…" I mumbled, embarrassed.

Riku chuckled on the other end of the phone, "I want to kiss you too, and other things…" he said lowly and I felt my face flush deeper.

"Riku!" I whined, fighting the shiver slipping up and down my back.

"I have to go Sora, you have a great day, and I'll see you tonight," he said and I sighed.

"Okay, bye," I said and hung up.

"You okay there, Sora? You look a little flushed," Roxas said and I shook my head.

"I'm fine, I gotta call my mom about babysitting Kairi while I'm at your big shebang," I said with a smile and Roxas nodded.

"So pumped, man!" Roxas said and we high fived each other before I turned to my phone again.

I called my mother's number and smiled when she picked up, "Yes, dear?" she said in her normal I'm-pretending-to-be-annoyed-with-you-but-I'm-really-not voice.

"I was calling to ask for yet another favor," I started.

"Name it, and it shall be yours, love," she replied.

"Well, I can pick up Kairi from school today, so don't worry about that… but I was wondering if I could take her to your house this evening… I was going to take Riku to a cast party for the airing of Coincidence Lover," I explained.

"Go ahead, Kairi wanted me to teach her how to crochet… so it works out," Jane said happily and I sighed.

"Thanks, Mom!" I said and we bid our farewells before hanging up.

I put my phone in my pocket and turned to leave when Axel stopped me, "You're coming to the cast party, right?" Axel asked.

I smiled, "Yeah, I wouldn't miss it!"

"Roxas hopes you'll bring Riku along… I want to meet him," Axel said and I smiled.

I had a feeling Axel and Riku would get along well.

"Yeah, I was going to bring him to meet everyone… and who goes to a party without arm candy?" I joked.

Axel chuckled, "Damn, straight! I'll see you there, then," he said and I left the room.

When it was finally time to pick up Kairi, I drove leisurely to her school and parked the car. I made my way through the gates and smiled when I noticed Kairi talking to a pair of kids. I walked over to her, "Kairi!" I called happily and she turned and smiled brightly at me.

"Daddy, come meet Kasai and Rakurai!" She exclaimed and I sat next to her at the table.

The two boys looked almost exactly the same, they both had pale skin and bright brown eyes. The only difference between the two kids was their hair colors.

The one on the left had beautiful auburn red hair that came down in waves. When the sun hit it, his natural highlights blazed like fire. The boy on the right had black waves instead, but he also had a white strand at the front of his face that squiggled down like a lightning bolt.

"Hi Kasai, hello Rakurai, I'm Kairi's daddy. It's nice to meet you!" I said cheerily.

"Hi Mr. Kairi's Dad!" Rakurai piped and Kasai smiled. "Hello…" he replied.

"I was just talking with Sai and Rai's mommy! She was asking whether or not I would like to stay with them from time to time. I told her 'yes!' because I love sleepovers!" Kairi said and I smiled.

"Well, I'd like to talk with their mommy first before I let you go," I said.

"Well now's your chance, it sure has been a while, Sora," I froze at the sound of that voice.

I _knew _that voice… it was a voice I never wanted to hear again.

And yet, it was still music to my ears.

I turned and faced the woman who had left me so many years ago. "Lacey…" I gasped.

I watched as Lacey handed apple juice to the three kids at the table and she smiled at Kairi before gently swooping the hair from her eyes. "You have your father's eyes…" she trailed off and Kairi smiled.

"Yeah… Riku says that I have Daddy's sense of humor too!" Kairi exclaimed and I felt rage suddenly take hold of me.

I walked over to Lacey and took her wrist gently before looking to Kairi. "Mrs. Lacey and I are gonna talk about that sleep over, do you mind packing up your stuff, baby?" I asked.

"Okay!" Kairi said and looked to Kasai and Rakurai. "Do you guys want to see my other drawings before I pack them up?" she asked.

Kasai nodded happily and Rakurai piped, "Yeah!" loudly and I couldn't help but think he was adorable.

I pulled Lacey over to an empty corner of the room and glared at her. "What the _hell _are you doing, talking to my daughter?" I growled.

"When was it a crime to talk to children?" she asked and pulled her wrist from my hand. "And in case you forgot, she's _my _daughter too!" Lacey huffed.

I grabbed the ends of my shirt tightly to avoid doing something I might regret. "_You do not have the right to say that, EVER." _I spoke quietly, but my voice was so vehement that Lacey fidgeted.

"Sora, I want her in my life! I'm filing for joint custody," Lacey said and I took a quick step towards her, she retreated nervously.

"Never, I will never hand my daughter to you! It's been almost six years, SIX YEARS! You never sent a letter, a postard, an email, not _even one phone call, _if you think you have any right to claim guardianship of Kairi, than you are _highly _mistaken!" I was so close to yelling that I had to look away and take a deep breath.

"I will have Kairi in my life, Sora… even if it means I have to take her from you. What do you think the people will say when I tell them about Riku, huh? I can offer Kairi a _proper _and _wholesome _family, while you lead her astray with your _unnatural_ habits…" She hissed and I clenched my fist so tightly I could feel my nails were biting into my skin.

"_Stay away from my daughter!_" I yelled, hatred in my eyes as I gave her beautiful face one last glare before turning and scooping up Kairi.

"Say bye to your friends, babe," I said calmly.

"Bai-Bai!" she called from over my shoulder and her friends sent their goodbyes back as I signed Kairi out and left the school.

I put Kairi in the car and smiled at her before embracing her once more. "You're _my _daughter!" I hissed angrily.

Kairi froze for a second before gripping my shirt tightly. "Of course I am, Daddy! I love you very much!" she piped and I pulled from her to plant a kiss on her forehead.

"So Kairi-cat, do you want to head to Granma's so you can learn to crochet?" I asked and her face brightened.

"Yeah! I want to make Riku a Totoro hat!"

"You love that Totoro guy, don't you?" I asked.

"He's so cute!" she gushed.

I chuckled at her before making my way to my mother's house. When I got there I dropped off Kairi quickly, I think my mom knew something was wrong but I kept avoiding her concerned gaze.

I drove home and got ready for the cast party early. Out of boredom I turned on the TV and changed it to the Anime Network.

It only took a few minutes to see the trailer for my anime. I chuckled at the sound of my voice coming from the television. I leaned against the armrest and sighed… I wished my circumstances were more like Satoshi's.

It was horrible… but instead of abandoning her child, I wished that Lacey had died giving birth to Kairi… Just to that I wouldn't have to worry about her ever coming back…

It wasn't fair.

It just wasn't FUCKING fair!

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I know, Riku and Cloud are waking me up from my spot on the couch.

"You still want to go to this party, baby?" Riku asked and I smiled before pulling Riku into an embrace.

"I want you to be my arm candy…" I mumbled into his neck. Riku chuckled and I sighed. Oh it felt so good to be held after such a horrible disaster of a day.

"We're ready to go, so you want to take my car?" Riku asked and I smiled.

"Yes!" I piped and pulled both Cloud and Riku towards the door. "Let's get this party started!" I cheered as we headed out.

-Hello, Doctor-

Riku's POV 

When we arrived at Roxas' huge mansion of a house, Sora was already bouncing off the walls. He pulled me out of my car and we moved towards the door. I looked back to Cloud.

"Is he okay?" Cloud asked.

I sent him a confused look. "I don't know… but he's not usually so… out of control…" I said when Cloud moved closer to me.

"Roxas!" I heard Sora yell across the room. Roxas smiled at my boyfriend before moving through the crowd to get to him. "Dude! It's time to get wasted! I can tell just by lookin' you! What's your poison?" Roxas asked.

"I don't give a fuck what it is, just give it to me! WHO'S UP FOR TAQUILA SHOTS?" Sora yelled and there was a wave of excited voices that all head to the bar.

"Sora!" I yelled trying to catch him before he was lost in the sea of people, but I was too late.

"I've never seen him act like that…" Cloud stated.

"Neither have I…" I worried at my lip. What was going on with Sora?

"You must be Riku," said a voice from behind me and I turned to see blazing red hair.

"Yes, I am. And you are?" I asked.

"Axel, I'm one of Sora's co-workers. I'm also Roxas' lover," he said with a smile and I felt myself relax a little.

"It's nice to meet you. This is my friend, Cloud," I said and Cloud took Axel's hand and shook it.

"Wow, don't take this the wrong way, but you're gorgeous!" Axel said and Cloud flushed a little before smiling.

"Thanks… you think you could show us around?" Cloud asked and Axel nodded. "Sure thing, actually… I want you to meet a friend of mine," Axel said and Cloud took my wrist and lead us to the other side of the room.

I frowned when I spotted that Leon guy sitting on the couch with a beer in his hand. My frown deepened when Axel took us over to him.

"Leon, this is Sora and Riku's friend Cloud. Cloud this is my best friend, Leon." Axel smiled.

I watched them carefully. Leon placed his beer down and offered his hand to shake. Cloud shamelessly eyed the man down before taking his hand and smiling.

"Pleasure," Cloud said simply and Leon smirked.

"It's all mine…" he replied and walked around the table to pull Cloud towards the bar. "Can I get you a drink?" Leon asked and I growled inwardly. I didn't like Leon and I didn't think it was smart for Cloud to be around him. I was about to run in and cockblock when I realized something.

This was good… if Leon liked Cloud, he would stay away from Sora! I smirked and looked at Cloud.

He looked at me, his eyes questioning: _Is this okay? _

I replied with a glance of my own: _Have fun, but he careful._

Cloud smiled at me before turning to Leon. "Yeah, I'll take you up on that offer," he said before they walked off.

"Mission: success!" I jumped when someone voice my thoughts exactly. I turned to see Axel watching them leave.

"You just said my thoughts exactly!" I smiled.

"Yeah, Roxas asked me to get Leon off Sora's back… and you just happened to bring along someone who passed all my tests before I even introduced him to Leon. That Cloud guy sure is a perfect ten and then some…" Axel said and I laughed.

"Yeah, he needs to have some fun… do you think it'll be a fling?" I asked.

"Nah, Leon's not that kind of person," Axel said and I sighed.

"That's good to hear…" I said and frowned when I heard someone yelling from the kitchen.

"Dude! This guy's amazing! He won't stop! He's gone through an entire bottle of Jack and Jonny and started with four shots of tequila, and he's STILL STANDING!"

"Please don't let that be Sora…" I said and pushed through people to get to the kitchen.

"Hey Rox! Yahav Bcardi?" Sora slurred and walked over to his friend.

"No, Sora… I think you're wasted enough." The blonde looked over to me and sent me a sigh of relief.

"I tried to stop him after the shots, but then people started to raid my kitchen and hand him shit. I can't believe he can even _ask _for more drinks…" Roxas said and I nodded.

"Sora, I think it's time to go," I said and wrapped my arm around his waist.

"Noooo! 'M thirrs-tieeeeee…" he was so drunk.

"You can take him upstairs, all the rooms are locked but I'll give you a key," Roxas said and handed me one.

I smiled, "Thank you so much," I said and scooped Sora up to carry him up the stairs.

He struggled at little, "Hey! Where'rewe… goin'?" he slurred in question.

"You need to lie down…" I said and managed to open a door and lay him down on the bed. I walked back to the door and closed it before walking to Sora and moving to take his jacket.

"Nooooo!" he cried and curled into a ball.

I sighed and tried again. "Sora, it's better to take off the jacket… you'll get too hot with all that alcohol in your system," I said and Sora smacked my hand away.

"No! 'M tirrreda people tryn'take my shit!" Sora slurred and I frowned.

"Was someone trying to take something from you?" I asked.

"FUCKIN' LACEY! FUCK YOU LACEY! FUCK YOU AND YOUR STUPID PRETTY FACE! I FUCKIN HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU AND YOUR STUPID FUCKING VAGINA!" He yelled to the ceiling as if this Lacey person was stuck to it.

"Sora, who's Lacey?" I asked.

"Youu know Lacey! She's Kairi's EX-MOM! AND I FUCKING HATE HER!" He screamed again and I found myself shushing him gently.

"No! You don't get to shush me!" He yelled, his coherency suddenly improving. "No one get's to FUCKING shush me about this! KAIRI IS MY DAUGHTER AND I WON'T LET LACEY HAVE HER!" Sora screamed before bursting into hysterical sobs. "SH-SHE C-CAME B-BACK AFTER A-ALL THESE FUCKING Y-YEARS AND SHE HAD THE GALL TO FILE FOR C-CUSTODY! ALL I WANTED WAS TO NEVER SEE HER AGAIN AND SHE'S GONNA T-TAKE M-M-MY BABY AW-AWAY F-FR-FROM ME! KAIRI'S MINE! _KAIRI'S MINE!_" Sora screamed so hard his voice broke before he curled into a small ball and began to cry into the bed sheets. His body was convulsing with heart-wrenching sobs and just looking at him like that made tears come to my eyes.

I pulled Sora into my arms tightly and rubbed his back gently. "Baby, it's gonna be okay… no one's gonna take Kairi," I said into his ear but he didn't seem to understand what I was saying.

Suddenly his body completely froze and his sobs turned to wheezes. I could feel his heart racing against his chest and I knew exactly what was happening.

Sora was having a panic attack.

I grabbed Sora's face, "Sora, breathe with me okay? In… and out… come on, baby, in… and out…" I inhaled and exhaled slowly and Sora began to tremble as he tried desperately to regain his equilibrium.

"In… and out…" I repeated, counting in my head to make sure I was slowing his breathing.

Sora's breath hitched every now and then as we continued to breathe in and out.

"That's it, baby, in… and out…" I said as Sora began to calm. After about ten minutes, I finally deemed Sora calm enough to breathe on his own. I ran a hand through his hair and pressed my forehead to his.

"Sora, Kairi has a great life with us… and everyone can see that. There's no way she'll be able to take Kairi. We're not going to let her…" I said and Sora nodded.

"My little, baby girl… _our _little Kairi…" Sora said softly and I nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, that's right. She's our daughter and no one can take her away," I said and kissed Sora's lips gently.

It only took a few more minutes before Sora finally passed out. I sighed and ran a hand through his hair…

We could never catch a break…

A/N: I give you the BIG conflict! Ooooooo! Yessss! Family drama is one of the best kinds of drama! Let me know what you think! :D Now for the sake of quick updating, and laziness, I'm not bolding the pennames… that's partly what makes replying take like three hours…

INessie: Hahah! I would have punched her too… but only after covering Kairi's eyes! XD Yeah, it's horrible what happened but honestly, that shit happens almost all the time… children are easy to manipulate and sometimes older children have too many immunities when they do bad things. Thanks so much!

The Fuzzy Ficus: Yeah, it's a theme I use a lot because it can manipulate people to do things that can bring people closer of tear them apart… so it helps move the story along a lot of the time. So yeah, that's why it's in there a lot. And don't worry, I'm really good at telling when people are actually mad. And as you can see, I was saving the homophobic drama for later… And thanks for reviewing and getting PIE to join the fun!

MayaDarkling: Thanks so much! You really did help me reach my goal! It means a lot to me! And thanks for your feedback!

Lunahalo: Yeah, it was the beginning of the long haul of trouble for our favorite pair! They'll get their sexy time don't worry! And I'll be sure to think of some more instances where Rox and Sora can hang!

MrCoopCake: It's okay, I still love all whales! And a pirate whale must be AMAZING! Collin is around 13 or so, therefore confused about life and the influx of hormones that comes with puberty. Collin and Tommy aren't really a main point in the story, but realistically, stuff like that happens and it's part of a doctor's life to deal with that. And OH MY GOD! I AM REALLY HAPPY! YES I WANT TO HELP YOU MAKE A STORY! THANKS SO MUCH!

AliceofHoenn: Thanks so much! Awwwe, you exaggerate! You're making me blush! XD

KatzeSchnee: Yes, we share a love of family stories, my friend. Thanks for the review!

TigerRaiken: Wow! I'm glad I could do that, (I do that a lot when reading though… it's kind of ridiculous!) And yes! Leon's relationship had begun!

Lightmaster: I hope I through you off guard and didn't do something really predictable… let me know!

Joxas: EVEN BIGGER HUGE CONFLICT! Thanks for the review!

Nami1415: Wooo! Thank you for telling me what you said! You say: That boy something something something that pervert! That's all I got out of your sentence! I kinda like this! It's fun! XD

Kaoru-chibimaster: Yes! Did I blind sight you with this one or was it predictable? Sometimes I end up giving it away by hinting too much! XD Thanks for the review!

Muffy: Yeah, the boy will be alright! Dryton did the right thing by being catious but she was too out of control… she needed to be calm, but instead she just started yelling at people and making a scene that was really unnecessary. Heheh about the Japanese thing! And I'm REALLY glad you don't skip over my fanfiction… because I do that all the time when I get bored and just want to get to the better parts of a story.

Dragonrose21: Well you see, now that I'm older, I've seen basically every studio Ghibli film along with film associated with Miyazaki… The artwork is so nice and I always love the music. I actually love Princess Mononoke the best, now. But the one that really, REALLY engaged my emotions was Grave of the Fireflies… I never cried so hard over a movie in my entire life, I was WEEPING even after the credits finished rolling… OH GOD that movie was SO SAD! Anyway, thanks for the review! :D

Aki-chan26: Yeah, but the boy will be okay. I'm glad you were amused by it even though that wasn't really what I was going for! XD Thanks for the review and I hope you liked this chapter.

Dreamy Duskywing: Oh, well good, then! Yeah, I wanted to pair that together so that you can kinda see why Riku sorta flew off the handle… he's usually not so temperamental. Thanks so much!

HarleyQuinFTW: Yes, I agree! And yes, what you're saying makes sense! Thanks!

Sayonara7: Yep, that is the opinion I have about the whole thing. And yes, I approve of Riku-Yaoi-Sensei!

Thefuturedoesntscareme: YESSS THANK YOU!

xxPiginaPokexx : Thank you, I don't really care what number you are because you are all special to me! Thanks so much for reviewing!

Animesaki: Yeah, Riku was not having a very good day…

ILIKETHEWORDPIE: Thanks so much for reviewing! It's okay I'm just glad you like the story! XD

Leviathan of the Sea: Woo! Thanks! More crazy things happen in this chapter! I hope you like it!

Izzyred: Well, I'm glad I could engage your emotions… I hope it was cathartic! :D The boy will be okay.

Cazzylove: Wooo! And you are a faithful reviewer and reader that I can count on to help me reach me goals! I love you for that! Thank you so much, Caz!

xXSoKuGirl0615Xx: I hope you like the dramatic update!

Anastaisya: I'm gald! Though I hope this one topped it! XD

D.E.W.P: Yes, AMEN! I hope this totally caught you off guard! I was trying to be sneaky! HAHAH!

Angelkit: Thanks! :D

ChocolateGummiBears: THANK YOU!

Alcorion: Yeah, I wish I could have Japanese lessons… and Sephiroth will come!

Yana5: He'll be okay… Sora… maybe not…

Mochiusagi: Yep! I hope you liked the update!

Merrr16: YEP! I DID IT! WE DID IT! Thanks so much!

Mizuki vamp: I LOVE YOUR AVATAR! Okay, I'm calm now… and yes I agree! Though I am not a parent, I think I have enough maternal instincts to understand both sides of the matter. Yeah, it's terrible but that's reality and that's why I put it in the story! Thanks so much!

Formidable Rain: YEAH! WOOHOO! I used to look on with envy at popular writers with ten billion reviews! BUT NOW! I AM THE ONE WITH THE 1000 REVEIWS AND I HAVE TRIUMPHED! AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH! Okay, I'm done now… actually… no I'm not… I WIN! Lol!

Cj Quinn: Yes, I tried to make it a little understandable for both sides. Not sex yet, but the party has come and gone…

Bluestar498: Good! And yeah, once I have an idea and I'm on a roll, it just flies onto the page really… it's when I'm replying that I have to make sure not to get too sidetracked on one comment and neglect others… I want it to be fairly even. Thanks for the review!

Natural Chaos: YESSSSS! Thanks so much! And yes! Though I don't like icing, I still love getting reviews!

TayTayXD: THANK YOU! (eats all of the sweets and pulls you into a bear hug) I LOVE YOU!

Mudkipluvr4ever: I'm glad it could be a learning experience! Yep! And he didn't say anything because it can be dangerous to tell school employees of your sexual preferences, sometimes it will change the way a teacher/counselor/caretaker behaves with the child and may even be detrimental to the emotional development and learning process. He was trying to be careful, but it backfired on him. Thanks so much for your review! WE MADE IT TO 1000 AND BEYOND!

MidnightxMusic: THANK YOU! Yes, Leon is really a sweet guy he only wants to be loved and loved in return! Thank you so much for your review!

The Fallen Angel13: YAY WE DID IT! Thank you so much for your support! :D

RedWords: Yeah, poor Riku… he had a poopy day. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR REVIEWS! THEY HAVE HELPED ME REACH MY DREAM! :D


	29. Comfort

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own, except for plot!

I can't tell you how thankful I am for your congratulations and angry comments towards Lacey (I kinda hate her too… even though I made her up) They mean a lot to me, but yet again, I've been really busy because school starts on Monday… So, I've been busy buying my books and preparing myself for that… so I didn't have time to make replies… which I really hate it when I don't. So to make up for that, I'm giving you all what you've been waiting so patiently for… YES, I mean it, LEMON TIME… So I hope you guys can forgive me yet again for not replying. Let me know what you think! :D

Chapter 29

Riku's POV

I woke to the sound of my phone ringing. I yawned before freezing.

Where was I? I sat up and sighed when I remembered last night. I pulled out my phone and frowned.

I was late for work, and I had seven missed calls from Jane. I called her back.

"Riku! Okay, I'm glad I got a hold of one of you… Sora's a lost cause. Where are you guys? I thought you would come pick Kairi up when the party was over, but she ended up staying here. Is everything all right?" she asked through the phone.

"I'm sorry, Jane. Is Kairi alright?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's Saturday so it's not like she has school… she's just wondering where her fathers went," Jane supplied.

"Jane…" I trailed off, suddenly feeling an influx of emotion that needed to be vented.

"…Riku, are you okay?" she asked gently.

I felt tears come to my eyes, "Something terrible happened yesterday," I said, my voice wobbling out of control. I had never felt so unstable.

"Did something happen to Sora? Riku, tell me what's happening," Jane answered with a concerned voice.

"Shit…" I mumbled as I swiped at my leaky eyes. "Sora and I went to this party… and he was acting so strange, as it turns out… his ex-girlfriend Lacey approached him and told him that she was filing for custody of Kairi… She just came out of nowhere after six years and asks to be in Kairi's life! H-He was s-so up-upset and I-I wasn't sure what t-to do and h-he got s-s-so trashed… I-I just n-not sure h-how I'm supposed to p-proceed here… I'm so lost, Jane…" I cried softly into the phone while watching Sora sleep.

"Riku, everything is going to be okay… you need to calm down and steel yourself, if you are really in this family, then you need to keep it together… no one said fatherhood was easy," her voice was firm but it sounded so caring that I felt myself relax.

"Okay… I'm sorry. I needed someone to take the wheel for a second… this was something I just wasn't ready for… but Jane, I'm here to stay, I was always here to stay…" I trailed off and Jane sighed in fond exasperation.

"I didn't doubt it for a second, honey, I just wanted you to have the truth handed to you."

"What's going to happen?" I wondered aloud.

"To be completely honest, I have no idea… this isn't really law and order," Jane chuckled.

"I'm worried about Sora… I had never seen him so devastated… he had a panic attack, a real, full-blown panic attack right in front of me. He just… he doesn't need something like this in his life, he doesn't deserve this," I replied and ran my hands through Sora's hair.

"It's going to be alright. How about I hold on to Kairi for now… you and Sora need to talk about this," Jane suggested and I thanked her before hanging up. The phone call to my brother was much quicker; he seemed to sense my anxiety through the phone.

"Take your time Riku… just be ready for the conference next week," Zexion replied.

"Thank you… I should be back soon," I said and we hung up.

There was a knock on the door and I turned to see Roxas slowly creeping into the room. "Is everything okay in here? I was worried when you two never came back down. Is Sora alright?" he asked.

"I'm not sure… we'll see when he wakes up. Did Cloud get a ride home or something?" I asked.

Roxas grinned, "He left with Leon…"

I gave a small chuckle and shook my head. "Leon doesn't know what he just got himself into…"

"Leon can handle it, he loves challenges," Roxas said and I nodded.

"Mmmmmmmnnnuughh…" Sora moaned and I saw his face scrunch up in pain before he opened his eyes. "Oohhhh, shiiiiit…" he groaned before grabbing his head and curling into a ball.

"So I guess you don't have work today?" I asked and looked to Roxas.

"Yeah, we're off until we air… then we'll be moderately busy with interviews and promotional stuff," Roxas answered.

"I'm excited for you guys… I can't wait to see the show." I rubbed my hand up and down Sora's back as he shifted and noised his discomfort.

Then suddenly he sat up with a wide-eyed look on his face. "Kairi!" he cried.

"Sora, Kairi is with your mom, she called and told me she's gonna keep her for a little while longer," I said and pulled him closer to me by the waist.

I took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Okay…" he whispered, his face unhappy.

"Sora…" Roxas started, looking concerned.

"Hey…" I stated simply and Sora turned his sad eyes to me. "Feeling sorry isn't going to make this easier for us… and it will make it harder for Kairi… I need you to get a grip." I tried my hardest to copy the tone of voice that Sora's mother had just used on me.

He looked furious for a second before something flashed in his eyes and he bit his lip. "I know… I just…" he was still whispering.

"What's going on?" Roxas asked, he looked at us seriously and I explained our situation.

Roxas' jaw hit the floor, "Oh no she di-in't! I oughta stab that bitch in the belly!"

I watched Sora curl forward with a snort and shake with laughter. I smiled and took Sora's hand.

Sora took a breath and swiped at his tears, "I don't really want her dead… she had two beautiful kids that seem to be well taken care of… and that's what scares me… that she's such a good mom," Sora said, looking out the window.

"Wait… let me get this straight… this bitch-ass-hoe up and left Kairi on the day she was born… _and now she has not ONE, but TWO kids in the same class? _Now that's just fucked up! That means she got knocked up again!" Roxas yelled angrily.

Sora shook his head. "No… they're in the same class, but they didn't look like five-year-olds… I'd say they were two or three…"

"Damn… I think your ex-girlfriend had a serious smart gene… she gave birth to _three _geniuses," Roxas said.

"I'm afraid to tell Kairi… I'm scared that if I tell Kairi about her mother, she'll want to see what it's like to have a mom and siblings," Sora said, biting his lip.

"I really don't think Kairi's interested in that, Sora. You know Kairi, baby, she's happy with what she has and she knows not to ruin it. Why do you think she was so upset when we were fighting? She knows when she has a good thing, and she's smart enough not to try and fix her life when it's not broken," I said and Sora sighed.

"But I can't help but feel like this is different… her mother is actually here this time… it's not just a hypothetical option," Sora said.

"We'll talk to her, it's better if we are completely honest and up front from the very beginning," I said and Sora nodded.

"I still don't like this Lacey chick…" Roxas mumbled and I chuckled when Sora launched himself at his best friend.

"I love you, Roxas! I hope we get cast in another anime together, I want you to be my lover!" Sora cried and Roxas laughed.

"Sora, you ARE my lover!" Roxas replied just as dramatically and I looked to the door to see Axel standing there, looking surprised.

"Did I miss something?" the red head asked.

Sora, Roxas, and I looked at each other before laughing.

"I think we should all return to our proper respective partners now…" Axel grumbled.

"Awwe, Axel, I was only playing!" Roxas cooed and walked over to his boyfriend.

"No, he wasn't…" Sora said and winked at Roxas, who nodded at Sora jokingly.

"Sora, I don't like sharing…" I said and Sora blushed.

"You and Axel are too serious! Roxas and I are too similar, I'd feel like I was kissing myself," Sora replied and Roxas laughed.

"My thoughts exactly, we're like the same person!"

"We don't even have to try!" they said together.

"Jynx! You owe me a… TURTLEDOVE!" Axel and I burst into laughter at our boyfriends. Even when they tried to be random, they still thought of the same thing.

-Hello, Doctor-

When Riku and I reached home, I was feeling a little bit better about what was going to happen in the future… but I wished desperately that I didn't have to go through with it… thinking about it just made me so scared…

Not many things really scare me… but the thought of losing Kairi terrifies me to the extent of irrationality.

"Are you hungry, Sora? You should eat breakfast… it will lessen the effects of your hangover," Riku said gently and I smiled at him.

"I could eat something light I guess… I really don't think I can stomach too much…"

He sent me a concerned look before pulling bread from his cabinet and placing a few slices into the toaster. It was quiet as we waited for the toaster to finish.

"You really scared me last night, you know…" Riku trailed off, his gaze averted from mine.

"I'm sorry… I wasn't really thinking about anything except for the fact that someone was trying to take Kairi away… it just messed me up," I said, not really sure how to explain how distraught I was.

"Like I said, it's only something we can deal with when it actually happens… so far, we've heard no news from anyone about Lacey's actions… so we should take advantage of the time and prepare Kairi for the worst… because I know that's what you worry about the most… whether or not Kairi will be able to handle being tossed around like some kind of plaything you can own," Riku gritted, seemingly angry about the whole situation.

"I just don't understand, why? After all this time, why would she come back? And then to torture Kairi further by making her choose, or letting the government make decisions for her when Kairi is perfectly capable of understanding what's best for herself… it's just… it's just so _wrong,_" I said.

"People in general just don't understand Sora… so it's up to us to make sure that they do… because if we do that, there's _no way _they would _ever _want to take Kairi from a great father like you," Riku said and handed me the toast on a plate.

I smiled and took the plate from him, lightly brushing his hand with my own in the process. The kitchen became quiet once more as I munched slowly on my plate of toast. Riku just leaned against the counter, watching me.

I was on my last piece of toast when Riku moved over to me. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and kissed the side of my head. "I hope you know this already, baby, but I'll tell you again so you won't forget," He paused and moved around to face me and he bent his knees to meet me eye to eye.

"I _love _you, Sora. And I love Kairi. I love the both of you with every fiber of my being… I love you so much that sometimes it hurts… And I _will _be here, right by your side, the whole way through this mess… no matter what it takes. I will do everything in my power to make sure that Kairi is happy and safe with us… I'm here to stay, Sora. Don't ever doubt that, no matter how hard it gets I will _never _leave you… because you and Kairi are my family now, and I'll be damned if I _ever _give you up," Riku vowed, his eyes soaking with sincerity and conviction.

I just stared at him, I had never felt this way before. I was never loved this way before… I stood and averted my gaze.

"Sora?" Riku stated in question.

I took his hand gently and pulled him along. We climbed the stairs and I pulled him through our bedroom door.

"Sora? Are you okay?" Riku asked, his voice revealing concern.

I turned us around and then I pushed Riku backwards, he fell onto the bed with a small noise of surprise. I said nothing as I approached. I climbed into the bed and crawled over him. He looked up at me with confusion in his eyes.

I wasn't confused.

I was finally going to do it.

I wanted to have sex with Riku… and I wanted it now.

I captured his mouth with mine, and Riku hummed in surprise before relaxing and wrapping his arms around me. I kissed him with everything I had.

I wanted Riku to feel that his devotion was mutual… and what better way to express that then to finally give him everything I could.

Our tongues battled for dominance and I sighed when he finally won out. Without pulling our lips apart, I set out to remove Riku's clothing. I unbuttoned his shirt with slight difficulty and swallowed his soft groan at the feeling of my hands on his skin. I bit his bottom lip gently before moving to trail kisses and nips down his neck.

I felt Riku take off my shirt and his hands travel to his chest. I moaned against his neck when I felt his hands tweak and pinch my nipples. I shivered and gasped as he continued to explore my body.

I yelped when Riku flipped us over and he began to attack my neck with gusto. A gasp and a moan got caught in my throat as he placed open mouth kisses along my neck. If I wasn't inebriated by the pleasure of it all, I would have found it kind of funny… it almost felt as though he was eating me!

"Ahaa…" I whimpered when he kissed a sensitive area. Riku groaned in response as his hand moved downwards to open my pants.

"Haahaa…" I moaned and laughed when he didn't waste any time taking my pants off. Riku's hand moved to my boxer clad groin as his mouth traveled to my collarbone.

"Riku…" I whined and arched my hips forward to get more friction from his hand. Riku chuckled against my skin and slowly removed my boxers. When they were gone, Riku pulled away from me and I groaned.

"What are you…" I paused when I felt Riku's gaze roam my entire body. I felt almost all the blood fueling my desire rise to my face.

"Riku… stop!" I yelped and sat up to try and kiss him… anything to distract him.

He kissed me gently and pulled away once more, I followed him desperately.

"Sora, this is the first time I've ever seen you completely naked. I just want to look at you for a second," Riku said and held me at arms length as he continued to stare at me.

"Riku… it's not that big of a deal!" I whined my face flushing even redder. This was so embarrassing, I felt like a high school virgin. "It's not like you wo-"

"Sora…" he interrupted shortly.

I looked at him, my eyes tearing from humiliation.

"You're beautiful," he stated simply with a smoldering gaze.

With a determined glare, I moved my hands to his pants and began to undo them quickly. I wasn't going to be the only one naked in the room!

Riku pushed me down onto the bed and began kissing my neck once more. It made it very difficult to continue removing his clothes.

But I didn't give up, and soon, Riku was hovering over me, also devoid of clothing. I was more surreptitious with my wandering gaze, as Riku continued to kiss me.

Riku had broad shoulders that gave way to a wide back and an open chest. I could feel his heartbeat racing away as he continued to touch and kiss me. His body had a healthy amount of muscle tone, which accentuated his strong stature. His hips were relatively narrow and his heated organ humbled mine, much to my displeasure.

"Ah!" I yelped in surprised when his mouth trapped a nipple between his teeth and I squirmed beneath him.

He let go and sighed before pressing his head to my abdomen. He pressed a small kiss to my stomach. "Sora…" he said, his voice low with desire.

"Riku?" I asked looking down at him in concern.

"Are you sure about this? I just want to make sure you want this," he said.

"Riku," I started and he lifted his head to look at me. I let out an amused breath. "Look at me! If you can look at me and see doubt then you're imagining it! Do you need me to say it straight for you?" I asked, feeling my face heat up in embarrassment again.

I didn't think I was gonna have to spell it out for him!

"I want your thick cock inside of me! Doesn't get much cruder than that!" I said before I pressed our lower halves together, "Are you going to leave me hanging or are you going to make love to me?" There was a pause as Riku stared at me, completely shocked.

I huffed and ground myself up to him again. "_Onegaishimasu! Riku!" _I whined softly and Riku finally groaned.

"Oh God, Sora… you're only person that can completely break me down…" he said before his tongue began a slow descent…

Lower…

_AND LOWER…_

I felt my insides twist up in pleasure when his breath ghosted over my throbbing heat. He gave the tip of it a little kiss before taking the entire thing into his mouth.

Oh. My. God. "Ahhhn! O-oh, Gah! Y-you… ahhhhaaahh!" I moaned nonsensically as Riku worked his mouth around me, his cheeks hollowing to give me that perfect suction.

"Hhhhmhhh…" Riku chuckled around my cock, I arched my back in surprise at the vibrations.

"Ooooh! Ahhhhhn, youuuuu d-did t-that on purpooooooooossssahhhh!" I couldn't even get a sentence out properly.

Riku's hand moved up to message my balls and I lost it. "AHHHHN!" I moaned loudly as I threw my head back and came in Riku's mouth.

I was so lost in my orgasm that I didn't even have time to cringe at the fact that Riku swallowed my come.

I didn't even notice when his finger entered me. But when I finally came down, I frowned at the uncomfortable intrusion.

"That feels weird…" I said with a blush. Riku smiled and kissed my inner thigh, causing me to shiver.

"It'll get better baby, I'm going to take care of you…" he said in the sexiest voice I had ever heard in my life. I actually felt my dick begin to spring to life again.

"Oh God, don't stop talking…" I groaned and shifted a little on his finger, only to writhe at the sudden flash of euphoria. "What was that?" I shouted through my pants.

"That was my target," Riku smirked and added another slicked finger to stroke that spot gently.

"Ahhh! Riku, pl-please… hah!" I cried at the mixture of acute pleasure and the slight sting of being stretched.

"Haaha! Okay, th-that kinda hurts…" I cringed when he added a third finger.

"Just a little longer, Koi…" Riku spoke in that voice again and I shivered. I didn't really understand why he was calling me a fish but I didn't care because it sounded good coming from his mouth.

I moaned when he touched that spot again and I whined when he finally removed his fingers from me.

"H-hey…" I spoke weakly as I panted, missing the feeling of Riku inside of me.

Riku hovered over me and smiled down at me. "You ready, Koi?"

"YES! Please!" I begged shamelessly.

I wasn't really prepared when he entered me. I didn't think it would hurt like it did, and without thinking I bit down hard on my arm. "Mmmmmhhmmm!" I groaned around my arm.

"Sora!" Riku moaned and stilled inside of me. I moved my arm and looked up at Riku. His face was scrunched with pleasure and it seemed as though he was fighting the urge to move. I took a couple of deep breaths and relaxed.

"Riku…" I said softly and Riku kissed the inside of my knee before pulling out and thrusting in.

I cried out and gripped the bedcovers tightly as pleasure washed through my body. "Riku! Ah! Ahn!" I moaned as he started up a rhythm.

"S-Sora! Ah… yeah…" Riku moaned, which doubled the pleasure I was receiving.

I realized then that I really loved pleasing him…

I threw my head back when he began to press deeper into me, stimulating me even further. I couldn't hold myself any longer and my body thrashed and writhed to match his incredible pace. "AHN! RIKU! OOOH GOD! HAAAAAAAAAAH! I-I… AHHHN!" I cried loudly as I came again, tears streaming down my eyes from the intense pleasure of having Riku inside of me.

"Hah… SORA!" Riku gritted out loudly as I felt him empty his load within me. He pressed a kiss to my mouth gently before pulling out and lying next to me.

"Was it okay?" I asked with a blush through my pants.

Riku frowned and pulled me against him, even though I was sticky and gross. "It was perfect… you're perfect," Riku mumbled into my ear before nuzzling his face into my neck as he got comfortable.

"Don't we have to get Kairi soon?" I asked as Riku began to gently brush his hand up and down my side, making me drowsy.

"Sleep now, let Kairi have more fun with her granma…" Riku mumbled before beginning to doze.

I yawned and finally gave into the complete comfort I felt when I was next to Riku.

I drifted off…

A/N: I hope it was satisfactory… I tried to drag it out more… my lemons are usually kinda short… let me know what you think…


	30. Chapter 30

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own!

So yeah, not really the best lemon writer in the world but relationships are more dynamic when there are love scenes so I felt it necessary… there will be opportunities to improve! XD I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.

I can't believe we've reached Chapter 30!

Riku's POV

It's been almost a week since that beautiful day I took Sora for the first time…

And though I would never regret such a thing…

I had unleashed a beast…

Sora was _insatiable…_ the man was almost always in the mood. I don't understand how someone just a few weeks ago was so scared of the subject had suddenly come to want it almost all the time…

I'm not really complaining, though…

He will actually wake up early with me so that I can take him before I take a shower…

And then he'll sneak into my shower and he'll seduce me into taking him in the shower… and he'll try his damndest to get me in the kitchen, but by then I've gained enough self-control to deny him.

Oh, but when we get home after work, it's on again. He'll drag me to the guest room and we'll make love there and I've had the privilege having sex with Sora over my office desk plenty of times… which had been a secret fantasy of mine for a while.

My lover wasn't satisfied unless he had at least three orgasms a day…

We've been really good about making sure Kairi was never in ear shot or ever in a situation where she might possibly walk in on us. Sora, though sex crazed, was surprisingly responsible when it came to his sudden cravings. And I was only happy to oblige him…

It was funny that I had fist thought I would break him down with the intense pleasure of our love making, but Sora was totally _destroying _me with that body of his… it was a wonderland, full of surprises, and hidden desires.

Unfortunately, that completely orgasm-inducing voice of Sora's was usually too loud for whenever Kairi was home, which was most of the time… so Sora has taken up this nasty habit of biting his arm hard when he reaches his climax.

At first I didn't notice it, and neither did he… until one day Kairi suddenly runs up to her father as reprimands him for not eating enough meals in a day.

"_Kairi, I eat three meals a day like every other person… what makes you think I'm not eating?" Sora asked._

_Kairi huffed and pointed to her daddy's arm. "Daddy! You thought your arm was a sandwich!" She exclaimed._

"_Kairi what are you talking abou-" Sora paused when he caught sight of his arm and blushed brightly before standing and running to the bathroom. _

There was very little we could do to explain to a five-year-old why her father had such a mark on the back of his arm.

"_I'll be sure to eat more often, okay Kai?" _Sora said and patted her head as she smiled.

Though we were a little less than honest about that situation, Sora and I made it a point to tell her about her mother's intentions.

"_Mrs. Sugimoto isn't my mommy! She's Rai and Sai's mommy! Daddy, didn't Granma tell you that sometimes your jokes aren't funny!" Kairi said, her eyes flashing with something before guarding themselves._

_Deep down, she knew the truth, but she was trying so hard to deny it. "Kairi, your mom wants to help take care of you, separately… she wants you to live with her and her family… she's willing to bring the whole thing to a judge… the judge is supposedly the person who knows best…" Sora said._

_Kairi's eyes watered and she grabbed her father's hand. "B-but I don't want that!" she yelped before bursting into miserable cries. _

_Sora scooped up Kairi and held her close as she clung to him. I ran my hand through her hair. "Kairi, I'm going to fight for you… I don't want her to have a second with you! She doesn't deserve it!" Sora said, fighting his own tears._

"_Kairi, Sora and I want you to know that no matter what happens, we love you more than anything in the entire world… and we're going to make sure that the judge knows that you are happiest with us… but Kairi, Daddy and I want you to be aware of what could happen…" I started and Kairi looked at me with teary eyes. _

"_There's no way your mother will get to take care of you full time, that's out of the question, too many odds are out of her favor for that, but there's a chance that you may have two homes. One with us and one with your mom and your siblings… I'm not saying that is going to happen, but we want you to know that that is a possibility," I explained and Kairi nodded. _

And since then Kairi has been silent about the subject, Sora and I don't blame her.

The doorbell rang and I stood to open the door for Roxas and Axel. Leon and Cloud were already here.

Tonight was the premier of Sora's anime and everyone decided to watch it here. For once, Sora and Cloud lucked out in that Zell and Kairi went to a birthday party that conveniently get them out of the house while we watched the show.

Sora felt bad about it but I reminded him that he would have many more opportunities to watch his roles on TV with his daughter.

"Hey Riku! Where's Sora?" Roxas asked as he entered the living room, Axel trailing behind him.

"I'm right here!" Sora said and moved to hug his best friend.

Roxas smiled and hugged Sora but when he pulled away he laughed.

Sora frowned. "What?" he asked, affronted.

"Sora, take my advice, biting yourself is no fun… bite Riku next time," Roxas winked at me and both Sora and I flushed at his words.

Axel laughed and patted me on the back. "Congrats, man."

I shoved Axel a little and bristled when Leon seemed to laugh at our expense.

"Easy there, mate," Axel said softly and I let my shoulders relax. Though Leon was with Cloud, he often flirted with Sora just to piss me off. Cloud didn't mind as he though it was amusing to see me, Mr. Calm and Collected, so on edge…

"They're just jealous…" Sora mumbled into my ear and I smiled at him as he pulled me over to the couch.

"I love you…" I whispered before sitting and taking the remote.

I turned on the television and we all settled down to watch the show.

It really was fantastic. It was a lot better than I expected it to be. They had obviously invested a lot of money into the program… the animation was clear and beautiful, and the dubbing was very clean.

And when I heard Sora's voice come out of the TV, I gripped Sora's hand tightly to show how excited I was.

Though most of the people in the room knew the script like the back of their hands, we all laughed at the jokes and found ourselves lost in the show. By the time it was over, we all groaned in displeasure.

I had not a doubt in my mind that this show would be a big success.

-Hello, Doctor-

I was really happy about our anime. I looked over to Roxas, Axel, and Leon before getting up and pulling them into a four-way hug. "I love you guys… I won't ever forget this moment! I'm so thankful to have the pleasure of working with you!" I blubbered and Cloud and Riku laughed from beside me.

"We love you too Sora, but it's not like this is our last moment together… you make it seem like we're all gonna go away or something!" Roxas said and Axel patted my shoulder.

"Sure I work at another studio, but you're too cute to stop visiting!" Axel joked and I smiled at him.

My smile widened when I felt Leon's familiar pat on my head. It was his way of showing that he cared.

"D'awwww! You guys are the best! Riku! Cloud! Come get in this love fest!" I said with a laugh as I made myself comfortable splayed across my friend's legs.

Riku walked over and scooped me up and I yelped in surprise. He sat with me in his lap on the other side of the sofa.

"Well, that's not possessive at all…" Leon said and I felt Riku send an icy glare Leon's way.

"Hey, hey! Let's not get hostile guys! Let's keep this area argument free! Like I said, love fest," I said before kissing Riku and feeling his muscles loosen. I smirked against the kiss… I loved having power over Riku.

I pulled from him and turned to our guests, "you guys want something to eat or drink?" I asked.

"I wouldn't mind a beer, if you have any," Axel said and the others nodded enthusiastically at the thought of having a cold one.

The doorbell rang and I turned to Riku. "Do you mind getting our lovely guests their drinks while I answer the door?" I asked and Riku smiled.

"I got it," Riku said and I kissed his cheek.

"You are just a little cup of perfect, my love," I said before moving towards the door.

I opened the door with a smile but frowned immediately at who was standing in the doorway.

I felt anger boil underneath my skin. "What the hell are you doing here?" I hissed and walked out of the house, closing the door behind me.

"I've come to give you the notice for our custody trial." Lacey said and I growled before shooing her off Riku's property. I grabbed the envelope from her and walked her to her car.

"Thank you for the notice, now please leave," I said, not caring that I was being rude.

"I have every right to see Kairi as you do!" Lacey snapped and I took a deep breath through my nose.

"Kairi isn't home right now, she's at a birthday party. So, sorry, but you can't see her." I said quickly and gestured to her car.

"Oh! You mean Sarah's party, right? I had my husband drop Rakurai and Kasai, but maybe I should head over there to check on them and see Kairi in the process," Lacey said and I felt my composer snap.

"_Absolutely not! _How _dare _you use your own kids as tools to get closer to Kairi! And I don't want you _harassing _my daughter about this custody trail! She already knows about everything and I won't have you rubbing salt in a wound she never needed!" I shouted angrily keeping my arms stiffly at my sides to make sure I wouldn't strike her.

"I'm _not _using my children! I don't need to! If I want to see Kairi, I can do it without any help! KAIRI IS _MY _DAUGHTER!" Lacey yelled and I turned my back to her in order to calm myself.

"Get in your car, Lacey, and drive away," I said calmly.

"I will, and I'll go see Kairi while I'm at it!" she snapped and I whirled around to face her.

"GET IN YOUR _FUCKING _CAR, LACEY! GO AWAY!" I yelled at her and she finally realized she overstayed her welcome… though she never had any welcome to begin with.

I didn't even watch her drive away as I walked up the pathway to the porch. I couldn't keep it together, I walked up to the porch and laid myself in the hammock, suddenly feeling my hands go numb and my breath leave me. I couldn't handle this… Lacey was going to take Kairi away and I would never see her again! I was going to lose my precious baby!

I felt my head spin as I gasped desperately for air.

"Sora are you… SORA!" I heard Riku's voice but my vision was being blurred by my panic.

I felt arms scoop me from the hammock and carry me into the house. "Sora, Koi, I need you to calm down… come on, baby, breathe." I heard Riku say calmly and then I heard over voiced over my wheezing.

"What's happening?" Roxas asked in alarm.

"Please, just clear the sofa!" Riku demanded and numbness began to spread up my arms.

"Sora, everything is alright, Kairi is not leaving… so please, breathe in and out… you have to calm down… in and out…" I felt Riku grab my face and I could barely make out his face through the blurriness of my anxiety.

I heard him breathing slowly and I tried to match his breaths. I closed my eyes and felt the tightness of my throat begin to loosen and my breathing become easier.

"Yes, Koi… that's it…" Riku said and my heart began to slow down as I felt Riku hold me close.

When my panic was gone, I bit my lip as tears came to my eyes. "She came to give me a trial date… I-I hate this!" I sobbed and Riku began to rock me back and forth.

"She was here?" Roxas asked, anger raw in his voice.

"She said sh-she was gonna talk to K-Kairi a-at the b-b-birthday party she's at," I said through my hiccups and hitches of breath.

"I can't believe this is happening, Mrs. Sugimoto seemed to nice when I met her…" Cloud said and Leon put an arm around his waist.

"I just want her to go away and stay away…" I said and hid my face in Riku's shirt.

"How many panic attacks has Sora had since this incident?" Cloud asked.

"This was the second…" Riku said and I spoke.

"I just get so scared about this… I know I need to be strong but sometimes I'm hit with this irrational terror that I'll never see Kairi again… and then it happens," I explained and suddenly I was wrapped into the embrace of all my friends.

"Sora, you're not alone in this, if you ever need anything, we're all here for you," Roxas said and my heart warmed.

"Thank you…" I said and remembered something.

"Riku?" I started and Riku hummed.

"What's with you and the fish?" I asked.

"What?" Riku asked and I huffed.

"You keep calling me koi! I am not a fish!"

Everyone in the room seemed to laugh at me and I frowned.

"Iie, iie! Koi as in love! Anata wa watashi no koibito desu. You are my lover." Riku laughed and Cloud snorted.

"It seems Sora needs to widen his Japanese vocabulary…" he said and I growled.

"Baka…" I grumbled and Riku chuckled.

After another hour of jokes, mostly at my expense, Riku and I walked everyone to the door and they left.

Riku walked over to the hammock and grabbed the notice that I must have dropped during my panic attack. He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the car.

"Let's go pick up our daughter, yeah?" Riku said and I smiled.

He was so getting laid tonight…

A/N: So this one was a little bit of a filler but I needed to plot to move a little… but I hope you liked it anyway

Lunahalo: Well thank you very much! Though, I'm hardly perfect, it's always nice to hear! XD Glad everything was good for you!

Cazzylove: Yay! Thanks, I kinda thought it was well placed as well! :D Much love!

Lone DragonWolf of the Flames: Hehehe! Thank you! Thank you! (bows) Whoo! You're feedback is much appreciated, my friend!

Mudkipluvr4ever: Yep, Riku always ends up that way in my fics… Sure you can! If they are perceptive/gifted enough to know how to talk and are potty trained and essentially have the mind workings of five year old kids, they can be put with the five year olds, sure it's unconventional but Kasai and Rakurai can handle it! :D

Aki-chan26: HAHAH! I hope you liked this chapter!

X0xCherryBlossomx0x: Thank you! :D

Joxas: Whooo! Yes after 28 long chapters of waiting! XD Thanks!

INessie: Hahaha! Thank you for your keyboard seizure… it means more than words! XD I'm glad you liked it! Yeah, Roxas was ready to cut a bitch. Thanks again!

Kaoru-chibimaster: Nah, you sounded like any other normal person on fanfiction! XD AND YES! Someone thought that was funny! You are the only who seemed to catch that… I had to lay it out in this chapter for the people who didn't get it! XD Thanks!

CheshyCatGrin: Hahahahhah! HAVE FUN! XD

xXSoKuGirl0615Xx: Wow, yeah, there will be more lemons… I'm not very good at them so I have to write lots more to improve! XD Stay away from sharp objects!

Muffy: Yay! I'm glad you liked it… I wasn't really trying to make it sparkle and explode with hearts and fluffiness nor did I want it to be like word porn, you know… I was trying to make it sort of neutral, not to hot, not to fluffy, and a little awkward because it's Sora's first time… that's what I was going for, I hope it worked out that way! XD Thank you very much, Muffy!

Izzyred: Hehe, thanks! And yeah, I always loved having the antagonist be a terrible person because then it's so much more satisfying when they fail or it makes reader all the angrier when they win. Thanks for the review!

Formidable Rain: Hehe! You're welcome! Yeah, I can picture Ritsu say that too actually! XD And yeah, this was actually one of the longest ones I ever wrote… I'll get it right eventually! Hehe! Thanks!

YukiFenikkusu: Thank you very much!

Natural Chaos: Hehehe, yeah, I'm glad you pointed that point out to me because that did need explaining. Thanks for the review!

DeViLaNgEl11: Wooo! Thanks so much! AND I LOVE YOU TOO! I hope you have fun in school and best wishes! :D

RedWords: Thanks for the review! If you didn't get my PM then I explained it in this chapter! :D

MrCoopCake: Hehe! Out of curiosity, what's the difference? Is it too puffed up? (I really have no idea how to put what I'm to get at…) To unrealistic? Too many sparkles and not enough heat? I usually don't try to explore the male psyche, but this is kinda interesting. And thanks, heheh! You gave me the house of Dr. Arthur Bunzel? Is it a beach house? Hehehe! Thanks!

Lightmaster: Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked it!

Coffemug: Hahah! Yeah, it was a long wait but I hope it was worth it! Thanks so much and tell Hatori I said "Ganbatte yo!"

The Fallen Angel13: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

Dragonrose21: Hahaahah! That sounds like quite the story! Thanks!

The Fuzzy Ficus: Hahah! Not one for lemon scenes I guess… it's all good though! Haha, all this talk of lemons and pie is making me hungry! Haha!

ILIKETHEWORDPIE: Did you get my PM? Yep, I've seen JR many times! It's great right!

XxRenThyRavenxX: Yeah, I'm not very good at stringing the lemons out for a long time… I'll get it eventually! Haha! XD And yes, Riku will not share Sora! Hehe! Thanks!

Animesaki: Hehehehe, I'm sure they could with a pinch of creativity! XD

Anastaisya: Thank you very much! :D

Sayonara7: Thank you! Yeah, I thought so too! But there is always room for improvement! :D AND YES THEY WILL FIGHT LACEY TOGETHER! XD

Triffy: Thank you very much! You're review makes me very happy! And yes, Roxas needs to cut a bitch! XD

Anna Crosszeria: Nope, no relation… Jane would be a horrible person if she abandoned Roxas! So no, they are sadly not long lost twins… they just happen to be almost the same person! And yes, Roxas shall lead the army! Thanks!

Angelkit: Thank you! I really love Roxas and Sora's interactions as well! They're fun to write! XD

Loverslittlebattlefield: Hahah! I think we all are on the whole stabbing thing!

pearlsXofXsin: Thank you very much!

D.E.W.P: Yes it arrived! My purpose in not focusing much on the whole physical pleasure of the love scene was to neutralize it (if that makes any sense), in that it's not a glorified moment of Sora's life, it's simply another aspect of his growing relationship with Riku… I was also trying to get at the awkwardness of the moment as well, seeing as it's Sora's first time with a guy. So that was my whole thought process behind it all… I hope that sheds new light on it! And yes, Roxas is amassing an army to destroy Lacey at this very moment! Lacey is trying to make up for her guilt… that's her reasoning… and Xemnas will not be making an appearance because Riku already dealt with him in the beginning. But there's plenty of drama ahead so don't worry! Hehe! :D

Yana5: You'll just have to wait and see! XD MUAHAHAHAHAHH!

TayTayXD: YAY! I'm glad you liked it! Thanks Tay! Love you too!


	31. Verdict

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own, sorry guys!

Alright, you guys can thank Hurricane Isaac for the lack of internet and electricity for five days… oh man, it was miserable… I can't tell you how necessary it is to have air conditioning in New Orleans… to not have it for FIVE days… on top of not having internet… oh God… it's like not having skin on your body, it's that serious. So again, no replies this time… I feel like a failure.

Chapter 31

I scowled as I fiddled with my tie. I didn't want to go to this trial... Nothing good ever comes out of arguing in a courtroom and there was no way I wasn't going to fight for Kairi.

Riku's arms suddenly wrapped around my waist from behind and I felt my shoulders relax. He moved from behind me and fixed my tie.

"I don't know if you really care about this right now, but if you want to know what a real scowl looks like instead of that adorable pout of yours, I'd look in the mirror," he said and I gave him a short smile.

"I can't bring myself to make any other face about this... Someone I despise is trying to take the one thing I love most in the entire world, she is not going to get away with trying to hurt my family... I'd sooner become a murderer," I growled and ran a hand through my hair before I stormed angrily out of the room.

I grabbed my keys moved to head for the courthouse. Riku grabbed my hand. "Sora, I know you're angry and to be completely honest, it's really sexy, but being angry with the judge won't help... So just, be careful. Everything is going to be okay," he said and kissed my furrowed brow.

I sighed and pressed my face into Riku's neck and kissed his skin gently. "God, I love every bit of you... And when this is over... I want you to fuck me over the kitchen bar," I said my face heating at the thought.

I've managed to get Riku to take me in every room in the house, except Kairi's room and bathroom and the kitchen.

I would leave Kairi's space alone... But I wanted to be fucked in that kitchen... Part of it was just me enjoying the love making with Riku, I couldn't get enough... But another part of me wanted to kind of baptize this house as "ours" by christening every room... That way when I look into the living room I'm reminded of the many happy moments with Kairi and the deeply erotic moments with my soul mate...

Oh god, I was such a weirdo...

I felt Riku shudder at my words as he pulled away from me. "Go, show the judge what a great father you are, and hurry home so I can do just that," Riku said, his voice a little dark with want.

I gave a small smile before it fell once more into a scowl, "Okay, they said the trial wouldn't take more than two hours..." I trailed off and I bit my lip. "Is there any way you could drop me off... I don't really feel comfortable driving right now," I said softly.

"No problem, baby."

The drive to the courthouse wasn't long and I soon found myself climbing the steps slowly to my destination.

The hallway of the courthouse was long and cold. The glare of the bleak fluorescent lights on the sickly colored linoleum floor made my stomach clench in anxiety. The walls of the hallway were plain and the doorways were a warm cedar brown that I would have liked under different circumstances. There weren't really any people around, which only proved to make me more nervous.

And then I spotted Lacey waiting by the door designated for our trial. She was leaning against the wall, her form curvy yet lithe as it always was. He auburn hair was curling down from the top of her head past her shoulders. Her bright brown eyes spotted me and I realized then that if this moment had happened about a half a year ago, I would have swooned from her gaze and her beauty.

"I thought you would be late, but I guess not," she said softly.

I gave her a short look before leaning against the other side of the doorframe, "I wouldn't be late for something so important, Kairi is counting on me," I replied simply before sighing.

Lacey was silent for a second before she spoke once more, "I don't want to be some 'ghost that never was' to Kairi... I want a chance to show her that everyday I lived without her was a day I lost a part of myself... I am her mother and I want her to know that I love her dearly. I always have... I just..." Lacey sighed and stared up at the ceiling, "You probably don't believe a word coming out of my mouth... But hopefully after this trial, you'll understand me just a little more," Lacey finished and a bailiff opened the door for the both of us.

I sighed and with strong, confident steps a made my way into the courtroom.

I frowned when I noticed the judge at the front of the room. He had his feet propped up at his place and he was chewing lightly at the end of the gavel. He looked like he wasn't prepared for or worthy of handling such a delicate situation.

"So this is a custody trial filed by Lacey Sugimoto against Sora Smith over Kairi Smith," the judge said reading some papers in front of him.

"Yes, your honor," Lacey said politely.

"Oh God! Please, just call me Zack... I was never one for the whole court lingo. Anyway, Mrs. Sugimoto, why on earth are you filing for custody now? It says here that Kairi is almost six... And why didn't she go with you to begin with?" Zack said and Lacey sighed.

"I was sixteen when I had Kairi, though I signed and filled all the paperwork for guardianship of Kairi, I was young and stupid then... I left her and I left Sora, I was scared and I wasn't ready to take care of a child... I'm here because I want to do right by my daughter after having let her down so early on," Lacey answered.

"Wow, this is stickier than I thought... Sora, how do you feel about raising Kairi? Do you find it difficult? Was it ever too overwhelming for you?" the judge asked and I shook my head.

"Raising Kairi was always difficult, but it would had been that way regardless of whether I was a single parent or not... Taking care of children is never easy, but it was never, never, too much for me. I love Kairi and raising Kairi is a true joy and though there are difficulties, I wouldn't ever resent a second of my life with her," I said.

"Lacey, it says here that you have two other little tykes... What's the difference, that doesn't really seem all that fair of you," Zack said and Lacey spoke.

"After I ran, I almost immediately realized that I had abandoned a part of myself... That left me so lost and I was devastated. I wasn't really sure what to do with my life, and then I met Toshiya... I didn't hire him as a therapist, and I didn't even know he was a psychologist until after I opened up enough to start dating him, he really made me feel like I could be whole again. A year and a half later, I married Toshi and soon afterwards, I was pregnant with my twins... When they were born the feeling of misery that had his away came back once more with twice the force it had before... I couldn't take life without my daughter... I didn't know where she was or what kind of child she was, but I needed her... So I began searching... And years later I realized that Sora hadn't moved far from where he always was... I thought for sure he would get away so I looked at places far away, I felt really stupid whenI realized he was always right under my nose... I enrolled my kids in school and due to their social and academic maturity, they ended up with Kairi's class... It was actually a total coincidence that that happened... So I filed with the hopes of becoming a part of my daughter's life," Lacey said and from the sound of her voice and the complete sincerity in her eyes, I could tell she was being honest.

"That's really great that you are striving to be there for your daughter and that you would go through such lengths to find her, but that doesn't change the fact that if you sighed the guardianship papers, you should have been paying child support..." Zack said.

"I know, and I can pay up front twice the amount for every month I've missed... I've been thinking about this for a long time," she replied.

"Wow, that's a lot of money... What exactly do you do?" the judge asked.

"I own a stay at home business... I sell a really successful line of beauty products, and the formula is copywrited in my name so fifty percent of profits from generic brands go to me..." Lacey explained.

"So what can you offer Kairi that she doesn't have with Sora?"

"I can offer her the love and support of a mother, siblings that are delighted to have her as an older sister, I can offer her time because I work at home, funds to give her the best of everything, a stepfather who wants nothing more than to provide for her, a well balanced environment, the list is endless," Lacey said.

"What do you have to say to that, Sora?" The judge turned to me.

"Kairi is happy with what she has, she can find all of her motherly support in her grandmother, Kairi has plenty of friends so that she is never lonely, I have a successful job that is now blooming so I can provide for my daughter's needs, and I have a loving boyfriend that Kairi has already accepted as a second father, and he loves Kairi probably more than anything in the world," I answered honestly.

"That's really great that you found someone who is willing to provide for you and your daughter, I know how difficult it is to find someone after becoming a single parent, I'm happy for you."

"Thank you, Zack," I replied.

"So what do you do Sora? What does your boyfriend do?" Zack asked.

"I'm a voice actor signed by 81 Produce, and Riku is a pediatrician," I said.

"Wait, is your boyfriend Riku Uchida?" Zack asked.

"Yeah... Do you know him?"

"Yeah, he's my daughter's doctor. What a coincidence! You can't go wrong with a guy like him, no one loves kids more than he does," the judge said with a smile.

I returned the smile, "Yeah, he's a miracle..." I trailed off without realizing.

"That's sweet. Now, I've looked at these papers and it seems like Kairi is already having a great life, so we have to determine whether or not giving Lacey custody is even beneficial for her growth... First, Lacey has to pay all of the child support she's missed... I know you are probably worried Sora, and you probably don't really want to give Lacey any time with your daughter... But having maternal support during these years of Kairi's life, in most cases with girls Kairi's age, can really make a difference. So here's what we're gonna do..." I felt my heart race with anxiety. They were going to let Lacey have a chance...

"I'll send a social worker... He's very unconventional like myself, but he is very passionate about his job and takes it very seriously... I'll send him for a week for each of you and he'll evaluate whether or not joint custody is a good idea. He'll start with you Sora, and then you'll send Kairi to Lacey's and she'll be evaluated, and that will be that," Zack said and clacked his gavel.

I walked out of the door and down the hall, I jumped when someone grabbed my hand.

"Sora, are you okay? How was the trial?" It was Riku's voice, I must have missed him when I left the courtroom.

I looked at him, he looked concerned. "Sora?" Riku spoke again.

And the sound of his voice finally broke me. I released a miserable cry and sank to the floor. They were going to take Kairi away from me! I felt my breath leave me once again and I couldn't think straight.

"Kai... K-Kairi... Kai..." I couldn't tell him, I felt my vision begin to fade.

"Sora! Cone on, Sora breathe!" Riku urged.

"Oh my God, is he okay?" Lacey's voice.

"No, he's been terrible since the day you showed up!" Riku snapped.

"Do I need to call an ambulance?"

"You've done enough!"

I couldn't breathe, my throat kept getting tighter and tighter.

"Sora breathe! Focus! Kairi is going to be just fine, they won't take her from us!" his voice was so nice but I couldn't concentrate, my body gave out and my vision faded to black.

A/N: CLIFFY! Oooo, you guys are gonna kill me! Review and tell me what you think! Sorry it's kinda short...


	32. The Social Worker

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **Didn't own it last chapter, what makes you think I own it now?

Oh man, school has started and it is kicking my ass! It's not really all that hard, it just takes up ALL of my precious time! I'm really excited guys! Opera auditions are coming up and I'm gonna try my best to get a role… we're doing Candide so I don't really think I'm going to be cast as the lead soprano… my high E flats aren't that nice yet! XD But anyway, wish me luck and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 32

Riku's POV

I'm worried about Sora…

Ever since the day he passed out after the court hearing, he's not been the same. He acts as though nothing is wrong, but when he thinks no one is looking he makes this face…

It's full of anger, pain, and raw, unbridled depression. I've never seen him look so unhappy.

I catch him making this face every so often when he thinks he's alone. But as soon as anyone comes into the room, he's the perfect image of happy, bubbly Sora.

And that's what scares me… he's become so good at acting that you almost can't tell what he's really feeling anymore. On top of that, Sora's show has been shooting upwards in ratings. He's been doing a lot of extra work at the studio, like answering fan mail, or web-cast interviews.

It really makes me happy to see Sora being so successful, and I can tell that he really loves acting and pleasing his fans… but at the end of the day, he has no time for himself… it's always work or Kairi.

He does try very often to get me to go to bed with him, but I can always tell he's really exhausted so most of the time I turn down the offer. He's worried about that social worker… I know he is, I am too… but there is nothing we can do about it.

"Hey Riku?" Sora started and turned to see him sitting on the bed. I lifted my brows to indicate that I was listening.

"Kairi is taking a nap… she's not going to wake up any time soon," Sora seemed to drift a bit in his thoughts and I moved over to him.

"Yeah, that's what she usually does on Saturday… why?" I asked and Sora sighed.

"Riku…" Sora's voice rose upwards in a whine before he moved to straddle my lap. "We haven't done it in a while and for once I'm not tired and I don't have work till Monday… Riku, I want you… _dakishimete,_" He whispered into my ear and I shivered.

I pulled him in and held him just like he had asked and after about a minute I slid my hands beneath his shirt and pulled it upwards. Sora gave a small smirk before wriggling out of his shirt. He pressed his lips to my neck and I shuddered at the tingle of his soft, moist mouth against my skin. With a grunt, I flipped us around and down so that I my lover was lying beneath me.

"Riku, aishiteru yo…" Sora gasped against my neck when my hands began to slide over his heated skin. I pressed my forehead to his chest and sighed.

Oh God, he was going to end me one day…

I loved everything about Sora… and he knew exactly how to wrap me around his little finger… I would do anything for him… anything just to keep him near. "I love you too, Sora," I replied in English before I looked up into his eyes.

His deep, cerulean eyes were begging me to take him and comfort him.

It was then that I was hit by this sudden, overflowing desire to possess him. It started low in my gut and spread through my veins like a wildfire. I sent him a look of unchecked passion. "Sora…" I moaned softly and pressed my lips to his as my nails dug into his skin. Deep satisfaction ran through me as Sora's body arched pleasantly beneath mine.

"Ahhh, Riku," Sora gasped again as I trailed my hands down his hips, red, angry welts trialing from my fingers beginning to rise in protest. I removed Sora's sweat pants and boxers easily. Sora's hands fumbled with my pants until they were finally past my hips. I moved my hands to his waist and gripped him tightly.

"Sora…" I gritted as his hips bucked to meet mine. The friction of our naked members sent a jolt of pleasure through me like a bolt of lightning. My hands were pressed so hard on his waist that I was sure it would bruise. I took a breath and let up, not wanting to hurt my lover further.

"N-no, Riku… hold me, please… tightly… shikkari dakishimete, onegai…" Sora begged in both languages and I had a hard time refusing him.

Sora squirmed underneath me for more contact. I kissed him gently and ran my hands softly over his abused skin. "Gomen…" I apologized and trailed kisses down his neck.

Sora whined and could not settle down. "Riku!" I yelped when I nipped his skin gently. His movements increased and our hips began to grind against each other, almost blinding me with the need to move our foreplay to the next level. But when Sora's hands moved to initiate more friction between us, I sensed something was off about Sora's behavior. "R-Riku, m-more please… Ah!" he crooned. It wasn't unusual for him to try to seduce me by begging… in fact, it was probably the easiest way to do it, but I could sense that he wasn't just trying to turn me on.

"Oh God! Riku… please just take me! I want you now… give it to me…" Sora begged with such panic that I was unsure of what to do.

"Sora… shhhh…" I said gently and kissed down his torso, my hands holding him still.

"Riku… n-no! P-please just fuck me! Riku! I want you now!" Sora whined frantically his legs spreading and wrapping around my hips to bring us closer. His chest was heaving and his eyes began to water as he pressed his entrance closer to my heat.

My heart broke for Sora… he looked so lost and afraid… I knew that he was still terrified about the social worker and the possibility of losing time with Kairi.

He let out a wail and covered his crying eyes with his arm. I lowered myself over him, wrapping my arms and legs around him as if I were a shield to protect him from the dangers of fate.

"Sora… shhh, daijobu…" I assured him that things were okay but he would shake his head wildly in denial.

"R-Riku, I need you… I _n-need _you… p-please… _anata wa watashi no tokubetsuna basho desu… _when I'm w-with you, I-I'm in a p-place where nothing c-can hurt me… and I-I c-can't do this alone… I can't face a life without Kairi alone! If you weren't here and Kairi was gone… I-I'd… I'd have no reason to live anymore… Riku, I d-don't know what to d-"

I crushed his lips with my own and I pinned him down tightly by the wrists. Sora attacked my mouth with desperation, our teeth clattered against each other and his tears wan down his cheek and near his mouth where I could taste them on my tongue.

With a grunt, I bit his bottom lip and Sora yelped. I could taste the blood from his lip and I cringed, feeling slightly guilty. But it only doubled Sora's attempts to get me to enter him.

"Sora, lube…" I gasped as my hands and nails trailed across his skin making him keen.

"There's n-no t-time… I don't care if it hurts!" Sora moaned as he pressed himself against me.

"Sora!" I said and yelped when Sora used his desperate strength to flip us over. Sora bit my shoulder as he lowered himself onto my swollen cock.

He was so tight and hot that I found myself arching deeper into him, Sora bit my shoulder harder at the pain while stifling his loud moans with my skin.

"S-Sora… Y-you sh-should b-be more c-careful…" I warned through my pants as his muscles clenched around me, sending an intense feeling of ecstasy through my body… I turned my hips a little to where I knew his prostate would be.

"Ahn! AH-hmmmmmmhmm…" Sora moaned before returning his lips to my shoulder as to remain quiet.

Sora arched and writhed from his place on top of me, his skin glistened with sweat and his body heaved with breathy moans as he matched my pace. Sora eyes were still leaking tears, but his face contorted with nothing but pleasure.

And it was then that I really understood what he meant about me being his special place. Even if it was just for a few minutes, I could chase away Sora's demons when he grew tired of facing them. Sora was doing his very best to face all his obstacles, even though every instinct was telling him to take Kairi and run. I was the person he could lean on when his legs went weak with fear and uncertainty.

With this epiphany revealed to me, I felt the strength within me redouble and my pace and fervor increase.

"AH! RIK-" I smothered Sora's screams with my mouth as I pounded mercilessly into him. I could feel his body shudder ceaselessly with euphoria. My own pleasure rose to a new level as I reached deeper and deeper into Sora's burning insides. My hands raked down his back as he threw his head backwards in rapturous pleasure.

Sora came hard between us with a shuddery grunt. I gave Sora a gentle kiss as I pressed as deeply as I could before coming inside of him. I fell back into the bed with Sora resting on top of me. Sora closed his eyes and tears fell from his eyes.

I knew that he needed to release the stress he'd been harboring so I didn't fault him for his tears, even after my reassurance.

"I want to go again…" Sora whispered and pressed his kisses to my ear.

"Sora… lube this time… and gently," I said as I slid my hand softly down his back.

"Y-yeah…" Sora stuttered as a shiver raced down his spine.

I was about to crawl over him when the doorbell rang. Sora whined for me to ignore it, but it rang a second time.

"It'll just take a second, baby," I said softly and moved quickly to the bathroom. I shed my dirty pants and grabbed a towel before quickly washing away the semen on my torso. I grabbed a shirt and a pair of sweats and pulled them on as I moved towards the stairs.

Sora's POV

I felt so pathetic… I have never been so reduced in my entire life… What was I doing? Fainting from panic attacks, nightmares at night, begging and hiding behind my lover when life got too hard… it just wasn't like me…

But if I was like myself, I would have left with Kairi ages ago… life just isn't what it used to be… and I'm so afraid that change will ruin the only things that I've ever wanted in my life.

I groaned as more tears fell from my eyes. I just couldn't get a grip… not with Kairi on the line… I had everything to lose.

I sighed and waited patiently for my boyfriend to return to bed so that I could lose myself one last time. I could feel everywhere he touched me like a burn. Some of his touches left marks… and they throbbed, but I liked the way it hurt. It made me feel like maybe I could withstand it all… that by bracing myself against the pain, I would feel pleasure in the end…

And in this case, I certainly did…

I sat up and wondered what was taking Riku so long… it's been at least five minutes. With a grunt, I stood and made my way to the bathroom. I washed myself off and put on my sweat pants, before heading downstairs.

"Riku… who was it at the…" I trailed off to see a large, and very tall, man standing by the door.

"Like I said, Mr. Sephiroth… you sorta caught us at a bad time, Kairi's asleep," Riku said.

Mr. Sephiroth's eyes zeroed in on me, and my whole body seemed to freeze in fear.

He was the social worker… he had to be!

"What's going on here?" Mr. Sephiroth said an accusatory glance moving to Riku.

"What do you mean, sir?" Riku asked, honestly puzzled.

"Don't play dumb… I thought I was here, to evaluate the childcare… but it seems I might have to stick around for partner abuse," Sephiroth said gesturing to my body.

I frowned and looked down… I sighed and covered my face in embarrassment… I didn't even think about how my marks might look to a complete stranger.

"Riku's not abusing me, I promise… just trust me," I said.

"You haven't earned my trust, Mr. Smith and I won't trust you until I see for myself that you are trustworthy," the social worker said firmly and I almost flinched at his words.

"Well… how about I put on a shirt, wake up Kairi from her beauty nap, and we can all forget that this ever happened…" I said.

"Why is it that your eyes look as though you've been crying, Mr. Smith… if you explain the situation, I'll have reason not to report it," Mr. Sephiroth said, his face actually expressing concern.

I walked over to Riku and took his hand for support. "I was worried about this… I was terrified, actually… and I couldn't stop myself from crying… Riku was only trying to comfort me… I encouraged him to hold me till it hurt, he was reluctant to do it… but I kept pushing… If anyone needs to apologize, it's me," I said and looked at Riku, sincere regret leaking from my eyes. I knew he didn't like being rough in bed, Riku didn't like being rough period… after his last boyfriend, all desire to cause pain to anyone he loved dissipated. Riku was a gentle giant I guess.

"Sora, it's not your fault… we just got carried away, come on, let's go wake up Ri-chan," Riku said and I smiled.

"Hai!" I exclaimed and began to pull Riku up the stairs.

I moved into Kairi's bedroom and sang loudly, "Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty!"

Kairi whined and curled deeper under her covers.

"Awe, c'mon don't be like that baybay!" I said in a weird sounding voice. I really couldn't describe it accurately with words. I yelped when I felt a shirt slam into my face softly.

I smiled at Riku when my head finally came through the hole in the shirt designated for it. "You'll probably have better luck at waking her, 'Tou-san," I said.

"Ri-chan there's a friend downstairs who wants to meet you," Riku said with a smile and Kairi sat up immediately.

"Hontou?" she asked.

"Hai, hayaku!" Riku urged and Kairi hurriedly changed into more presentable clothing.

"Daddy, daijobu?" Kairi asked looked concerned. My eyes were probably still puffy from crying.

I smiled and scooped her up. "Hai, daijobu desu! Are you ready?" I said excitably so that Kairi would eat it up.

"YEAHHHH!" she exclaimed and Riku and I laughed as we moved downstairs.

When we made it downstairs I placed Kairi down and she immediately hid behind my leg, he eyes watching the stranger in the room.

"Don't worry, Kairi-cat! He's a friend! He's here to make sure that you get the best of the best!" I said bravely, knowing that deep down, he was someone of which I would have to be wary.

"Yeah, Ri-chan… he's gonna visit us for a while and make sure you have all your needs," Riku added and Kairi smiled up at us.

She looked back to the stranger and recoiled. "Kowai…" she muttered.

"Iie, kowakunai…" Riku assured that the man was not scary and I moved aside so that she was no longer hiding.

I pushed her forward a little with a chuckle, "Iku…" I urged her to go on ahead.

Kairi inched towards the social worker with caution. My jaw almost dropped when his entire demeanor changed. He knelt before Kairi with a gentle smile that Kairi couldn't resist.

"Hello, Kairi… I'm Seph, I heard from your father that you were taking a nap… were you tired for a reason?" he asked.

Kairi shook her head. "I just felt sleepy… I was playing with 'Tou-san in the back yard earlier," Kairi answered and Sephiroth smiled.

"And who exactly is 'Tou-san?" Sephiroth asked and Kairi smiled.

"Riku! He's my daddy too! I call him 'Tou-san… that's short for Otou-san, which means dad in Japanese!" Kairi piped and I smiled.

"Wow! So you have two daddies?" the social worker asked.

"Yeah! They're the best!" Kairi exclaimed and I grabbed Riku's hand. It made me so happy to hear those words come from my daughter's mouth.

"You don't think it's weird?" Sephiroth asked.

"Weird?"

"Well, don't all your other friends have mommies?" Mr. Sephiroth said.

"Well, yeah… most of my friends have mommies, but Daddy and 'Tou-san told me there's nothing wrong with being different and that if someone has a problem with us, then they're just jealous that we are happy being who we are," Kairi spouted and Sephiroth raised a brow.

"And you're happy, Kairi?" he asked.

"Of course! I love my daddies and my Granma…" Kairi said as if what he was implying was ludicrous.

"That's our girl…" Riku whispered in my ear and I nodded a smile beaming on my face.

"So, Kairi… have your daddies done anything strange to you or to anyone else?" Mr. Sephiroth ask and I felt my blood boil at the implications of that question.

Riku squeezed my hand tightly and I began to settle down.

"No… I mean one time 'Tou-san stuck a straw up his nose, it was funny!" Kairi giggled and Riku covered his blushing face.

"So there isn't anything you find strange?" Sephiroth encouraged to make sure.

"There was this one time where Daddy tried to eat his arm like a sandwich! He had a bite mark and everything!" Kairi said and it was my turn to blush.

Mr. Sephiroth looked to me with a strange look.

"I can explain that…" I said quietly and Riku actually had the gall to chuckle at my expense.

"Kairi, I have a big task for you, it's really, REALLY important…" Sephiroth started and Kairi started wide-eyed at him.

"Yes! I can do it!" she piped.

"This is my friend Jenova." Sephiroth pulled out a stuffed angel toy, with one black wing and one white one. "She's very important to me, but I want you to take care of her for a while… can you do that? Take her everywhere you go, otherwise she'll be lonely," Sephiroth finished.

"I can take care of her! I'll make sure she doesn't get lonely!" Kairi said.

"You have to pinky swear," Sephiroth said gently.

Kairi held up her pinky and Sephiroth linked his with hers. "I'll drop by every once and a while to see how she's doing okay?" Seph said, standing.

"Okay! I'll take good care of her, Seph!" Kairi said happily and hugged the toy gently.

"Thank you, Kairi. I'll see you, soon… Bye Jenova," He said before seeing himself out.

"Bye!" Kairi said before turning to me. "I like him!" Kairi said.

I smiled before shaking my head. "I'm glad, what do you say we cook dinner together?" I asked and Riku smiled.

"YEAH!" Riku and Kairi yelled together before we ran to the kitchen.

A/N: And there you have it… the beginning of what could be a triumph or a disaster! Anyway, I hope you like it… and sorry for the wait again…

Lunahalo: Thanks for the review… and we'll see what happens with Kairi later!

xXSoKuGirl0615Xx: I would never kill a main character… I just don't have the guts! And as you can see, he's not really okay… but with Kairi and Riku, he'll be fine!

Aki-chan26: I was actually hoping that you guys would find her at least more human after her testimony… but you're not the only one who still hates her… Thanks for the review, love!

Animesaki: YES ZACK! And nope! I tricked you! It's the one and only Sephy! Thanks for the review!

TayTayXD: Lacey loves her daughter too much to give up… and Sora will be okay! Thanks and yeah, I'm used to hurricanes… I've dealt with them all my life. The only one I ever evacuated for was Katrina! Thank God I did because we had nine feet of water! I'd say the only people who really took a hit were the people in La Place, the water topple the levee and caused major flooding. But the people of New Orleans are mostly unharmed and now comfortably back into the swing of things!

Coffemug: Yep! We're fine! Wow, yeah… I've never had that problem, sounds kinda brutal! I hope you and Tori are okay! Haha! Yeah, maybe at some point he can explain it to me too… I don't really understand it either… I'm just winging it! XD Thanks so much and happy really belated birthday!

Angelkit: Thanks so much! Hehehe, he's a horn dog at heart! I hope you liked this chapter too.

MrCoopCake: Sorry, it's in my nature! XD And yeah, I'm just fine… it took about a week for the city to get it's shit together but now everything it back in sync! And no, I had no damage… after Katrina, my dad made sure of that! Everybody is good! In fact, my aunt had twins! THEY ARE SO CUTE! And yes, that would have been hilarious and I don't understand why I can vividly picture Zack throwing a gavel at someone! Thanks for the review!

Leviathan of the Sea: I'm not sure, I mean, he's Riku's brother so he may come around… he's married to Naminé though so there will be no Zemyx. It's all good, hurricanes aren't so bad… most of the time they're just overrated rain storms! But yeah there are times when it floods, not this time though! School is mostly the time consumer now… so I hope I don't try your patience too much!

Katelynn: Thanks so much!

Mudkipluvr4ever: Yeah, I'd say! XD Sora's okay though… Thanks so much!

ILIKETHEWORDPIE: (eats the gummy worms) I'm not that mean, I just wanted to give you a little scare! Thanks for the review and I hope you liked the chapter.

Animedprincess: I love how everyone still hates Lacey even when I tried to make her a more likable person! XD I can't kill my characters though so, you won't have to worry about that! Thanks!

Moonclaw: It's okay! Yep… everybody still hates her… Thanks for the review and I'm okay so everything is fine! Oh man, I've never even seen a tornado… so I think I would probably piss my pants if I was ever in one! That sounds a lot scarier to me than hurricanes! I have relatives that live in Oklahoma, and so I think they get tornados… but they've never said anything about them… anyway thanks!

Dragonrose21: Yep! No damage to my house! Oh GOD! A whole WEEK without power? I would DIE! I almost went to school in the New England area… didn't have the funds though XD I would have liked the cold weather… it's mostly heat here! And I tried really hard to make Lacey a little bit more likable in the last chapter… but I guess it didn't really work!

Formidable Rain: That's so sweet… I would imagine that if I had panic attacks, music would calm me down… I live and breath that stuff. I had a hurricane… and school to keep me from updating! Sorry! The RL can be a real bitch sometimes! Hahaha! Thanks for the review!

Making Melody: Yeah, I hope you liked the chapter… and yeah, Isaac must have been harmless to you guys! I'm glad it helped someone! Thanks!

Joxas: Sora will get there… his whole life is crumbling under his feet but he'll get the hang of it eventually. Thanks so much for the review!

AzaryaTsuki: Heheh! Yeah, it was a pretty nice cliffy… but I decided I liked doing a cut scene. When Sora passed out his breathing went back to normal… And sorry! I HAD to use Seph! I couldn't resist!

Muffy: That's very understanding of you! And it was Zack Fair! His purpose is to be laid back and friendly! And thanks, WOO! TEXAS! All good few of my college friends are from Texas… Thanks again!

Rhibotticus22: Aww, Kairi doesn't have that ability! Things will fall into place where they need to fall into place! Don't worry!

xXBlackPhantomXx: Oh man! I can imagine! I had to drive out to Baton Rouge and all the exits to Houma and Manchac and La Place were blocked, but you could see all the water! It looked pretty scary actually! I hope everything is back to normal for you!

The Fuzzy Ficus: YEP IT WAS SEPH! I hate tomatoes! I can deal with the pickle, but not the tomatoes! I'm sorry this took so long, I had too much stuff to deal with! Thanks for the review and I though it would be amusing to have Sora egg Lacey's house, Sora knows that breaking the law would not but the judge in his favor! XD Thanks again!

XxRenThyRavenxX: Sora's okay… well, kinda! I hope you liked the chapter! Thanks for the review!

Shadows and silhouettes: Yeah, sorry about that… it's just easier to reply to everyone this way… and this way I learn lots of new things about my readers! I know you don't mean anything wrong by it! Thanks so much! I'm glad you like the characters and the story! Thanks for overlooking the little things that irk you. I know how hard that can be sometimes! And though I made Lacey the antagonist, I really do like the name… I mean, that's kinda why I chose it! XD I'll try not to make Lacey super deplorable… and you're name is beautiful! And the life changing events of his recent life are giving him an irrational fear of losing everything he loves. And that is what is causing his panic attacks. When I did research on the panic attacks… it said that panic attacks can occur after a person has experienced an extremely stressful event… even if that person has never had a history of panic attacks. So that's what I went with… of course I don't really know what panic attacks are like since I've never experienced one. So yeah, you'll have to forgive me on that one if it isn't accurate. Thanks for the review!

Lightmaster: YAY! AND NO! IT WAS SEPHIROTH! Hehe! Thanks for the review, my love!

Kiba: Thanks for the review!

The Fallen Angel13: Muahaha! We'll see what happens!

D.E.W.P: Thanks for being understanding! Hahaha! I'd love to spend some time in the UK! It sounds so exciting! Hehe! XD

NeverForgetVIIIXIII: Thanks for the review… I love how a lot of you guys have no mercy for poor Lacey! XD

DanniDavidson: Well welcome to the world of Hello, Doctor reviews! Thanks so much for your feedback! It is much appreciated!

Cazzylove: Yes, it was evil and I did a cut scene too. But as you can see, everything is relatively okay for now. Thanks! You're the best, Caz!

Cinnamy: Hahah! Everyone still hates Lacey! I hope you liked the chapter! Thanks!

Dreamy Duskywing: AWWW THANKS! :DDDDD Yeah, I was hoping that would be easy to pick up on! Yeah, things will be alright… and oooo, yeah I don't think I would ever want to injure my tail bone! Sounds like a nightmare! I have not melted, not to worry!

Thefuturedoesntscareme: HEHEHEH! I was hoping that would happen! It makes the story more excruciating and drama-filled! Thanks for the review!

FFirst2L: Heheh, no they aren't! Yeah it was bad for a lot of people nearer to the water… I was okay and so was my house… Thanks for the review!

MidnightxMusic: YAY! I was trying so hard to make her seem less deplorable! I actually like her as a character. So thanks for being understanding. And sorry this update kinda took a while! Thanks!

Lone DragonWolf of the Flames: He won't die! I can't kill people! Thanks for the review!

iNessie: Oh god… prepare yourself! Sorry these updates will probably be weekly because of school, but I will make sure they are interesting and worth the wait… hopefully… Thanks for the review!

DannyRockwell: You share the sentiment of many of my other readers. Thanks for the review!

Guest1: SORRY! AND THANKS!

Cj Quinn: SORRY! I LOVE YOU!

DallenIsCool: Thanks! I love Zack! And no I haven't… but now I want to see it! XD

Sab: But that's the thing! To me, Cloud belongs with SEPHIROTH! Zack and Aerith are so cute together! And yeah, I really only like Zack when he's being friendly and goofy. Again you are probably the fourth understanding person towards Lacey… everyone else completely despises her with no exceptions! And yeah, I almost went crazy from 5 days… but 13… I WOULD DIE! And yeah, no damage so everything's good! And it was Sephiroth! I do really love Reno though so I might use him at some point! Thanks for the review!

Ldrmas: DON'T KILL ME! Heheh! I hope you liked the chapter!

Nami1415: HAHAH! Thanks for the review!

Triffy: Yep, I'm good! Hehehe, poor Lacey… and you'll have to wait and see what happens! Hehehe!

XD: Yeah, I'm trying to put in better context clues now for people who don't really know any Japanese. But yeah, the bodingness is cute! Hahaha! Yeah sorry, I made it up! Thanks! YEAH! I LOVE ZACK! WOOO! THANKS!

DeViLaNgEl11: heheh! I'm evil! Yeah, Zack is too awesome to be homophobic! Yes! Another understanding person! And no worries, I'm fine, so is my house! Thanks!

Kageayamu Sakushi: Hahaha! I will get to that, just not in this chapter! Thanks!

Moon Smurf: Sora's gonna be fine! Don't cry! Thanks so much for your review!

CheshyCatGrin: YEP! I'm fine! It was bad for the people in La Place and Houma and stuff, New Orleans was relatively okay. Thanks so much Cheshy-chan!

Jenny –xenj- Harris: Heheheh! Thanks!

AliceofHoenn: Thanks so much! And don't cry! Things will work out!

Cbrookins1990: Thanks so much! YES I love ZACK! Hahah! I would too! XD

Mochiusagi: OOOHHHH! I LOVE DRAMA! Thanks for the review!

Breaking6883: Thanks for the review! I hope you liked this update!

Dairent: Thanks! I really appreciate it!

Wulfie89: Here you go! I hope you like it!

Rainbow Cupcake: Thanks so much! It means a lot! :D


	33. The Doll

**Hello Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own.

Yeah I know it's been a while but I've been really busy and I have all my priorities in order, putting FFnet closer to the bottom of the list. Sorry, that's just how the world of the RL works, but I'm not dead so don't worry. Hope you enjoy the chapter guys!

Chapter 33

I was getting ready for breakfast Sunday morning when I felt arms wrap around my waist.

"'Hayo…" Riku mumbled into my shoulder in a sleepy Japanese drawl. I smiled and leaned into his embrace before returning the greeting.

"What're we eating?" he asked slowly and I yawned before putting pans on the stove.

"I'm not really sure yet," I answered and turned around in his embrace. "Hey, Riku?" I started.

"Hmmm?" he hummed into my neck with a gentle exhale.

"What do you think that doll's for?" I asked, I was a little nervous about how this creepy Jenova doll played into Sephiroth's Social work.

"I think it's used as a way to evaluate the way we raise Kairi. The way we treat Kairi and care for her will be reflected in the way Kairi takes care of the doll. If Sephiroth comes around seeing her abuse the toy, he's going to think that maybe we infected her ability to care and nurture though our abuse of her. But I don't think we need to worry about it. Just embrace the doll, Sora… it's cute in a unique sort of way… I guess," Riku said with a chuckle.

"I guess that makes sense… it's a good thing we don't abuse Kairi then. Kairi is going to take great care of that thing. That's why when this is all over, we should get a pet. It'll prove that Kairi's ready for responsibility and that we are secure as a family unit, you know?" I said.

"You really want to get a pet?" Riku asked.

"Yeah, is that okay?" I asked, feeling a little foolish for not asking in the first place.

Riku didn't say anything because Kairi came downstairs, holding that creepy doll tightly in her arms. "Ohayo, Kairi-cat!" I spoke cheerily.

"O…" Kairi paused and released a huge yawn, "Ohayo, papa," she said and placed Jenova in one of the stool chairs before climbing into it herself. "Onaka suita…" Kairi mumbled before rubbing her empty stomach.

I smiled. "Well, I think it's time for some green eggs and ham!" I exclaimed.

I watched as Kairi's face lit up with delight at my statement. "I like green eggs and ham! I do! I like them, Sam I am!" Kairi spouted happily.

"Eh?" Riku looked puzzled.

"Would you eat them in a boat?" I asked with a smile.

"Yes! And I'd eat them with a goat!" Kairi giggled.

"And in the rain, in the dark, and on a train!" I replied.

"In a car and in a tree, they are so good, so good you see!" Kairi exclaimed.

"Oi, oi, oi! Matte! Nani?" Riku shouted over our excitement.

"Riku, you've never heard of Green Eggs and Ham?" I asked.

"Tamago? Midori? I don't think I like green eggs and ham," Riku said skeptically.

"He doesn't like them, Sam I am!" I said to Kairi with a gasp.

"You have to eat it, 'Tou-san! You have to!" Kairi stated, appalled by Riku's rejection of green eggs and ham.

"Don't knock it till you try it, babe," I said as I moved to get all the ingredients.

Riku sighed and sat next to Kairi at the bar. I smiled and leaned in to kiss him softly before returning to my task.

I was in the middle of putting the food coloring into the egg when Kairi let out a sneeze. "Bless you!" I said and Kairi paused before sneezing again.

"Bless you again," Riku said and he chuckled. "You know… in Japan, when someone sneezes it means someone is talking about that person."

I laughed. "Let them talk… they can only say good things about _my _daughter!" I asserted before moving over to Kairi and kissing her cheek. Kairi giggled with a little blush on her cheeks before she turned to Riku. "Do I get a kiss from 'Tou-san too?" she asked and Riku kissed her other cheek.

"Now I have two good luck kisses to protect me from bad stuff!" Kairi said as I put the eggs in the frying pan.

When the food was ready, Kairi and I watched curiously as Riku eyed the food in front of him and cautiously took a bite of it.

"Do you like green eggs and ham?" I asked and Kairi looked on at the edge of her seat.

Riku swallowed before running a hand through Kairi's hair and looking at me. "I do like them, Sam I am." He replied and Kairi squealed.

After an hour of enjoying a breakfast of uniquely colored foods, Kairi climbed down the stool and scurried off to use the potty.

"I can't believe you're a children's doctor and you didn't know about Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss," I said.

"I was born and raised in Japan, while you were enjoying Green Eggs and Ham… I was enjoying Anpanman and Doraemon," Riku defended and I laughed.

"Don't be so defensive, I was only teasing…" I said and pulled him up and out of the chair.

Riku smirked and turned us around so that my back was against the bar. "I was just thinking of different ways to tease you…" Riku said in a familiar husky growl.

I shivered against him and pulled him into a kiss. Riku groaned softly as one hand moved up behind my head to deepen our kiss and the other crept under my shirt.

I was about to close my eyes and slip away for a second with Riku, but something in the corner of my eye made me freeze.

It was like that freaky doll was staring at us.

I pulled away from Riku and Riku leaned in, in an attempt to recapture my lips. "What?" he asked.

"That doll! It's staring at us with its dead, beady eyes!" I yelped and Riku laughed.

"You are such a drama queen!" Riku said and I barked out a laugh.

"Well, the acting agency's gotta pay me for something!"

Riku laughed at my reply before Kairi came back to the kitchen.

"Did you wash your hands?" I asked.

Kairi nodded and dangled her hands towards me, offering me a sniff of her clean hands.

I trusted her but I moved in to scoop her up. "What do you say to a day at the park?" I asked.

Kairi's face brightened. "Can I take Jenova?" she asked.

I felt my eye twitch. "Sure…" I replied and Kairi hooted excitedly.

Riku laughed at my slight discomfort with that creepy looking toy. "Last one into the car is a loser!" Riku shouted and grabbed his keys before running out the door.

"I'm no loser! Daddy let go! I gotta run to the car!" Kairi squealed and I let her go with a chuckle before pretending to trip so she could reach the car first.

"Daddy lost! That means you're the loser!" Kairi teased.

"I'm no loser! I'm a winner!" I shouted.

"Yeah, at losing!" Riku spouted back with a playful twinkle in his eyes.

I'll show him!

"Yeah, well this loser has something the winner wants… and he ain't getting it! So who's the loser now, huh?" I bragged.

"What is Daddy talking about?" Kairi looked puzzled and Riku just burst into laughter.

"Those, Kairi, were the desperate words of a sore loser… but don't worry, I'll comfort him thoroughly later so that he'll feel better," Riku said and Kairi smiled.

"'Tou-san is so nice!"

"Yep!" Riku said, but you could practically hear the teasing behind his voice.

He was so getting tackled once we get to the park. He hasn't won the war!

The drive to the park was filled with Kairi joking with Riku. I chose to sit and strategize my diabolical plan to destroy Riku.

We reached the park and the three of us climbed out of the car. I waited for my perfect moment to strike. When Riku was out in the field of soft green grass I knew it was my chance.

"For Honor!" I shouted and ran at him.

"For Glory!" I shouted again when Riku turned around with a confused look on his face.

"FOR NARNIAAAAAAAAAA!" I yelled and tackled him to the ground before commencing in my tickle attack.

Kairi yelped in delight before she placed Jenova gently on the grass and pounced onto my back.

"I'll protect you Otou-san!" Kairi giggled.

"There's no need Ri-chan, I'm not ticklish," Riku replied with a smug look.

With a growl I pinched his cheeks and stretched his face. "I will not concede defeat!"

Riku placed his hands gently on my wrist and looked me in the eyes with a fond stare. I let go of his cheeks and he smiled at me, and Kairi, who was hanging on my shoulders.

"This could be a perfect moment to insert something really cheesy like, 'You've already won my heart,' or something, but I think I'll just go with the mildly cheesy 'I love you,' instead," Riku said and I felt my heart melt.

"You sir, are a butthead, you never allow my victories to be satisfying… you just melt my heart with those dreamy eyes of yours…" I said and Kairi laughed.

"Daddy loves you too much, 'Tou-san." Kairi smiled.

"That's good to know, but I think now is a great time for a game of tag!" Riku said and managed to flop Kairi and I off of him. "I call not it!" He yelled quickly.

"Not it!" Kairi yelped and ran from me. "Haha! Papa! Nibui!" Kairi teased.

"Slow? I'll show you slow, you little munchkin!" I shouted and chased her around on the grass. Kairi squealed and ran from me but I caught up to her and scooped her into my arms. "I win! And that proves that I'm quick on my feet, and I'm also quite witty if I do say so myself!"

"Hey Kairi, I see an ice cream man around the playground, who's up for ice cream?" Riku asked.

"ME!" Kairi and I shouted together.

Riku smiled and nodded before walking towards the playground. I sighed happily and splayed myself out on the soft grass. Kairi sat on my stomach, her eyes glistening with curiosity.

"What?" I asked.

"Why do you love me?" she asked innocently.

I was almost baffled by her question, it wasn't really something people normally ask out of the blue. "Wow… that's a loaded question Kai… but I guess it's relatively easy to answer. I love you for so many reasons… innumerable ones… everything that makes you, you Kairi is a reason to love you. But I also don't really need a reason to love you, I just do… pretty weird, huh?" I said.

"I want to know a reason…" Kairi trailed.

"Well, one of the easier reasons is because you are my daughter… A very important part of me, lives in you… I helped create you… you are my most precious creation. And I couldn't be more proud to be your father. I guess another reason is because you are such an amazing individual… when you started to become your own person, I couldn't believe that such a beautiful person could be a part of my life. You give me a reason to be happy, make me want to be the best person I can be… Kairi I can't describe how much I love you and how grateful I am to have you in my life… every good thing that's ever happened to me has basically been because of you… and words can't describe how lost I would be if you weren't around… Kairi, do you understand what I mean now?" I said and looked into her youthful blues.

"I love you too, Daddy…" she trailed off and hugged me tightly.

I smiled at her. "I'm glad." With a big stretch I spoke. "Where is Otou-san with our ice cream?"

"There's a long line," Kairi said.

"Luke!" I almost jumped when I heard someone shout. I turned and frowned when I saw this HUGE dog bounding towards us without a leash.

I grabbed Kairi and stood, hoping the dog would slow to a halt now that we were off the ground. But the dog kept running and I held Kairi tightly as the dog approached.

He didn't crash into us, instead I just heard Kairi yell and pull from my grip. I let her go without thinking and everything moved so fast it was hard to keep up.

"Jenova!" Kairi screamed and took off after the dog that must have picked the doll up from the ground.

"Kairi!" I yelled for her to come back, but she continued to run.

"Luke stop!" the dog's owner shouted again as he ran past me.

I felt my heart stop when I saw the dog take off across the street. I began to run.

Kairi was trailing behind.

"Kairi stop!" I shouted and ran as fast as I could when she began to run into the street.

A large car drove down the street. I could see it heading straight for Kairi… it didn't look like it was going to stop. The dog easily cleared the street; Kairi was lagging behind, too concerned about the doll than to worry about her own safety. I felt my body move on it's own. The car was going to hit her! "KAIRI NO!" I screamed and threw myself into the street. I grabbed Kairi and began to cross but it was too late. I heard the car finally attempt to screech to a halt, it wasn't enough.

I felt my breath leave me as the car rammed into my side. Kairi screamed but I just held her tightly hoping that my body would shield hers.

I felt my body shoot forward from the force and then hit the ground. It hurt like shit.

"DADDY! DADDY!" Kairi was screaming and when my vision cleared I saw her terrified eyes staring down at me, flooding with tears.

I groaned before a sudden anger hit me full force. I stared up at my daughter and managed to yell.

"Kairi Jane Smith, what have I told you about crossing the street!" I was hysterical… I couldn't describe how angry I was that Kairi would run into the street like that.

Kairi just continued to cry and I felt my anger suddenly dissipate. "Kairi, look at me." I spoke, it was infinitely more difficult that it was when I was yelling.

She looked at me, worry and horror flashing in her gaze.

"Don't you EVER do that again! Do you understand me?" I hissed vehemently to get my point across and Kairi nodded over and over again through her sobs.

"Somebody call an ambulance!" I finally noticed two voices around me. I couldn't really move… in fact, I couldn't really feel my body at all.

"SORA!" I heard Riku's voice and Kairi began to break down again. I felt relief wash through me when Riku came into view.

"Riku…" I rasped.

"D-don't speak… shhh…" Riku stuttered before he checked my pulse. His voice and eyes seemed so unsteady, but the fingers pressed to my neck were still and firm.

"Did any of you call an ambulance?" Riku yelled over the panicking people around me.

"Riku, how bad is it?" I managed to ask, my voice breathless.

"Sora, it's going to be fine… I just need you to lie still and focus on breathing and staying awake," Riku said and he brushed a hand through my hair.

"Daddy…" Kairi whimpered.

"I'm gonna be okay…" I assured her before doing what Riku asked of me.

Riku held Kairi close and when I finally heard sirens, I blacked out.

A/N: Wow… I am such an asshole… sorry guys… but next weekend I'll update again, that's a promise!


	34. The Last Days

**Hello Doctor**

**Discliamer: **I don't own guys… if I did, I certainly wouldn't be at this computer typing… I would be in a pool of my own money, rolling in it.

Chapter 34

The ride to the hospital was pretty hard. Part of me just wanted to strangle the EMTs that were tending to Sora… I could see every little flaw… though nothing dangerous or terrible, but it made me so nervous.

And Kairi was crying non-stop apologizing frantically to her unconscious father. The owner of that dog retrieved Jenova and returned it to Kairi. She was holding it so tightly you could see her little knuckles go white with anxiety.

I held her close, but she wouldn't take her eyes off Sora… she was afraid that as soon as she did, he would somehow slip away.

I knew better than that. I could guarantee that he was going to make it as long as people were careful. From just the looks of it, I would say he broke a couple of ribs and had some bad bruising and abrasions. I was sure that he would pull through.

When we finally got to the hospital, Cloud's hospital to be specific, I knew he would be in good hands.

Kairi started screaming when they began to wheel him away. I walked over to a chair and sat her on it. "Kairi!" I snapped.

She jumped and her screaming ceased. I gave her a firm look. "Screaming is not going to make Sora feel better. Sora wa daijobu desu," I said calmly and looked her dead in the eye.

"Ya-Ya…" Kairi hiccupped. "Y-Yakusoku?" She gasped through her stifled sobs.

I leaned in and kissed her forehead gently before taking her little face softly in my hands. "_Yakusoku suru,_" I promised with all the conviction I could muster.

Kairi burst into tears and through her arms around me, forgetting about Jenova in the chair. I scooped her up and held her as tightly as I could without hurting her.

"Riku! What happened?" I turned to see Jane scurrying over to us. I frowned when I noticed who was behind her.

The Social Worker.

"Kairi was running after a dog, and Sora jumped in front of the car that was going to hit her," I explained softly and Kairi began to tremble, she was so upset.

"I-I d-didn't mean to! I-I'm s-sorry! I'm sorry!" Kairi screamed and I felt my heart break at the sheer desperate sound of her voice.

"Kairi, this wasn't your fault. It's nobody's fault, it was an accident. Sora will wake up soon and tell you so, I promised remember?" I asked and Kairi bit her lip before nodding.

"I want to know why Kairi was left alone long enough to run into the street," Sephiroth said in a serious voice.

I growled before taking a breath. "A dog ran up and took that Jenova doll and Kairi ran after the dog as soon as she saw that Jenova was gone. Sora was right there but didn't register what was happening until he realized Kairi was running into the street. Kairi is unhurt because Sora sacrificed his own safety to protect hers. Now if you want to go make accusations about my boyfriend and his ability to watch his child, I suggest you do it when Kairi isn't around and when my lover isn't in a hospital bed. Your implications are deplorable and so is your tact," I said calmly before setting Kairi down and asking her to go sit in the chair with Jenova.

She left with an unsure look but I offered her a smile before she scurried off.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "I'm sorry… that was a little overboard… please excuse me, I'm a bit testy…this whole situation has been pretty stressful, as you can see," I said to the social worker who simply nodded.

"Is Sora going to be okay?" Jane asked, worrying flashing violently in her eyes. I sent her a reassuring look and nodded.

"He's going to be fine… I wouldn't be surprised if they came out in a few minutes to tell us we can go see him," I said.

And as if on queue, a nurse stepped out and called my name. "You're welcome to come and see him as well, Sephiroth," I said and picked up Kairi who was already tugging on me to get moving.

The walk to the room was short and even I was surprised to see Sora awake.

"Daddy…" Kairi said softly and I placed her down. "Are you okay?" she asked, her bottom lip trembling as she approached the bed.

I grabbed a chair and pulled it up to the bed before putting Kairi on my lap so that she could be closer to her father.

Sora sent her a soft smile before slowly reaching to wipe the tears from his daughter's eyes. You could see the slight wince from the pain it caused but it didn't stop him. "Now that I've seen you, baby, I couldn't feel any better… I love you so much. I was so scared that I would lose you that I didn't think about what might happen to me… and for that, I'm sorry Kairi… I didn't mean to put you through that," Sora said.

Kairi sobbed, "I-I'm sorry! If I hadn't run into the s-street-"

Sora cut her off with a finger. "How do you feel Kairi?" Sora asked.

"Bad!" Kairi yelped.

"Why? I feel great… the doctors put me on just the right amount of pain medication that I can talk to you and be relatively comfortable. Sweet deal, huh?" Sora said and Kairi looked at him as though he was crazy.

"I got you hit by a car!" she cried again.

"No, I jumped in front of the car… you didn't make me do that. I made that choice myself and I'm glad that I did because you're safe now."

"You're not mad, or sad?" Kairi asked.

"Nope! I'm really happy that you're okay!" Sora said but winced a little when he felt his side twinge a little.

"I'm happy that you are okay too, Daddy… I didn't want you to get hurt… I didn't want to have only one dad again," Kairi said softly and I wrapped my arms around her.

"I promised that he would be okay… there was no need to worry, Ri-chan," I said.

"I love you…" Kairi said looking at me then turning to Sora.

"We love you too," Sora and I said together.

"Do you know how long they are keeping you here, Sora?" Jane asked and Sora sighed.

"Yeah, for like five days… Cloud was a real harda-… hard_head_ about it too… he wouldn't budge. I kept telling him that Riku would be able to monitor me just fine!" Sora huffed before groaning in pain and I laughed gently.

"Baby, what about my clinic… it's not like I can force everybody to stay healthy until you get better. It's better if you stay here…" I said and Sora nodded.

"Okay, I can understand that… if that's what Cloud was worried about then he could have just told me that…" Sora grumbled.

Kairi giggled. "Daddy's being a big whiny baby!"

Sora gasped. "Take that back!"

"No!" Kairi squealed and Sora grumbled again.

"You're lucky I can't get up, I was going to tickle you into oblivion…"

"Kairi you forget that he has an accomplice!" I said and began to tickle Kairi.

She yelped through her laughter and I giggled before kissing her cheek. "You were supposed to be on my side!" she piped.

I smiled. "I think it might be better though, if we let your Daddy rest… all this excitement might hurt his ribs," I said and Kairi sighed.

"Do we have to go?" she whined.

"We'll be back tomorrow after school," I said and Kairi nodded.

"Kai, you be good for 'Tou-san. And I don't want any more tears about this okay? I'm fine, I promise!" Sora assured and Kairi scooted over the bed to kiss her dad on the cheek.

"See Kai, you gave me good luck, nothing can hurt me now." Sora smiled.

Kairi nodded and moved over to her Granma. "Are you gonna come to our house?" Kairi asked.

"Well, I have to finish talking with the Mr. Sephiroth, he wanted to ask me some question when I got the phone call about Sora," Jane explained and I took Kairi's hand.

"You'll see her tomorrow Kairi. How about we go home and we can share a _big _bowl of home made ramen?" I suggested, knowing Kairi would love to do something like that.

"Hontou?" she asked.

"Hai! What do we say?" I asked.

"Mata ashita!" Kairi said.

"Kairi, Riku… kiotsukete ne?" Sora said with a fond, but tired smile on his face.

Kairi and I smiled. "Ittekimasu!"

-Hello, Doctor-

When I finally got out of that stinking hospital, I was just about to go stir crazy! I only had one day left with Kairi before she went over to her mother's for a while. It was really upsetting to know that my time to be evaluated was seemingly cut short.

I could tell Kairi was getting more and more nervous about it. Riku and I kept reminding her so that she would be prepared to go… but it only seemed to put her on edge.

Every once and a while she would look to me and smile sadly while I lay in my hospital bed.

"I love you and Riku… and I love my family as it is… why can't Kasai and Rakurai stay my friends and their mother stay my friend too… I just… don't get it…"

I could never really answer her accurately.

Roxas came to visit me a couple of times. He said that our show got even more popular and that people wanted to know more about the cast.

We were invited to an anime convention and I couldn't be happier about that. Kairi and Riku looked almost as happy as I was to hear the news.

I laughed when I got a very discreet looking get-well letter from an anonymous person…

I knew it was Vincent… he's the only one I know with really fancy handwriting. He was such a closet softie!

Despite all of that, I was glad to just move about the house, cooking a little and watching a bit of TV with Kairi. Since it was my last day with her, I let her take the day off from school.

Riku was going to come home early as well so that we could have dinner and enjoy each other's company.

"Daddy?" Kairi said and I looked over to my daughter. She was still holding Jenova. One of the good things is that, even with the whole dog incident, Jenova was still in really great shape.

"Yes?" I replied and smiled.

"What will happen if they force me to stay with the twin's mom?"

I pulled Kairi close and kissed her forehead. "I'm sure that won't happen, but if by some strange reason it does… it wont change anything between you and I. I will always love you and you will always be my daughter no matter what. Your mom is a decent woman, if she really loves you, then she'll let us see you," I said.

"I-I… I'm scared…" Kairi whimpered and I frowned.

"That's fine, but do you want to tell me why?"

"I… want to hate them… I want to make sure I never see them again… but I-I can't and what if I end up liking them?" Kairi said.

I smiled. "Kairi, I would be more scared if you had said that you hated them… I don't want you to hate anyone… you know that's not how I raised you. I want you to go over to Lacey's house and I want you to try and have fun… if you like being there, then the worst thing that could happen is that you stay over there half the time… and that's not so bad… I wouldn't like it all that much, but if it makes you happy, then I will deal with it."

"Why?" she asked.

"That's what loving someone is all about, baby. When you love someone, you make sacrifices… well maybe sacrifices isn't the right word… you do what you can to make that person happy even if it's at a cost… because in the end, all you really want is for that person to smile and know that you love them," I explained.

"Like when you give me the mushrooms off your pizza and give them to me even though you really like mushrooms?" Kairi asked.

I laughed. "Yeah, that's a small example… but yeah."

Kairi snuggled closer and hummed. "I still don't really want to go… I don't you to have to give me up…"

"Riku and I would never _give you up_. Think of it more like, entrusting your safety to someone else temporarily. Because we will always care and love and miss you when you are here and when you're gone." I said.

The front door opened to reveal Riku he close the door and placed his stuff down before moving over to the couch.

He planted a kiss on my lips and then moved to kiss Kairi gently. "How are my two favorite people in the whole world?" Riku asked.

I looked to Kairi and smiled. "We're just fine, huh?"

Kairi looked at me before turning her gaze to Riku before beaming.

"Yeah, better than fine… I'm happy to be home."

A/N: Hey! I know you guys are probably like, "ummm, what up with this? There's typos everywhere!" Well, I didn't really proof it because I've been doing school stuff all frikkin day! But I have fall break so I may have another update Monday or Tuesday… review and let me know what you think!


	35. Changing

**Hello Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **Nah, brah…

Chapter 35

Kairi's POV

I couldn't sleep… whenever I closed my eyes I would see Daddy crying and calling my name… calling me like he was afraid he would never see me again.

I just wanted to sleep… the sooner I left to go with Sai and Rai's mom, the sooner I would be back with Daddy and Otou-san.

"I d-don't want to go, Jenova… can't people see how happy I am already… anymore would only make it worse," I whispered to Jenova in the dark. Jenova sat quietly like she always did… she was a good listener, but she never liked to talk.

"The good thing is that you get to come with me! I won't be completely alone…" I mumbled softly and looked up at the dark ceiling above my head. "Do you think that we'll be able to have any fun knowing that this isn't just a sleepover? This is more than that… this could ruin my life…" I trailed off, then huffed slightly with amusement.

"Sounds kinda silly right? A slumber party that could mess up my entire life? Sounds like a scary bedtime story or something! But this isn't a story, Jenova… Daddy and 'Tou-san keep telling me about it because they know how real this is… I just…" I took a deep breath when I felt the tears build up in my eyes. "I just… I don't want my world to change… even if a fairy godmother told me my life could get better than it is with Daddy and Riku… I wouldn't believe her and I wouldn't wish for anything else…" I whispered as a couple of tears leaked from my eyes and ran down the corners of my eyes and down the side of my face.

I froze when I heard my door open and I closed my eyes, I listened as the person in the room moved over to my bed. "Oh Kairi, I thought I would be able to handle this… I really thought I could… but…" I heard my dad sniffle, I could hear how upset he was by his voice. "I'm losing my grip on this…" he whispered and opened my eyes before turning to him.

"Kairi!" he gasped, he must have thought I was sleeping. I leaned over my bed and pulled out the flash light that I use to scare away the snake lady under my bed. I turned it on and shined it on daddy.

"I know a place where no one can hurt us…" I whispered and got out of my bed. I ran down the hall to the blanket closet. "Daddy! Get that big one!" I whispered and daddy chuckled before running a hand through my hair. He reached up and frowned when even he couldn't reach the top shelf.

"Kai! I'm too short!" he whispered back with a laugh. I giggled and hopped. "Try jumping a little," I replied.

"I could get it for you…" I screamed at the voice behind us and Daddy yelped and grabbed me tightly.

Riku laughed boisterously, his flashlight under his face to make him look scary. Daddy began to laugh before moving over and smacking 'Tou-san on the shoulder.

"You scared the heck out of me!" he whispered angrily and I giggled.

"Kowai, 'Tou-san!" I yelped and Otou-san moved over to the closet. He pulled out the large blanket and looked to me. "So what did you need this for?" he asked.

"Come on! You can come to! I'm making a force field to keep away the bad stuff!" I exclaimed and grabbed 'Tou-san's hand.

We ran back to my room and I grabbed Jenova before sitting on the floor. I turned my flashlight back on and Daddy smiled. "I get it! Riku, sit on the floor. Right there." Daddy pointed to a spot opposite of me.

He sat and Daddy grabbed the blanket. He grabbed the corner and like a bird he spread his wings out wide and threw his wings over all three of us. Riku turned on his flashlight and we were engulfed in the yellow glow from our flashlights.

"This is perfect!" I giggled. My fathers were smiling at me, their eyes glistening with happiness. "I wish we could stay like this…" I said quietly.

"Just know, Ri-chan… that this is waiting for you when you get back. Watashitachi no tokubetsuna basho desu… our special place…" 'Tou-san smiled and leaned to kiss my forehead.

"I love you… Daddy, 'Tou-san… and I would sacrifice anything! I will do whatever I can to make you happy! That's what I want! That's what I've always wanted!" I cried and I couldn't stop the tears and the sobs. I wanted them to know that they meant more to me than anything.

'Tou-san pulled me into his arms tightly. I could feel his tears soak through my pajamas. Daddy closed the hug be reaching around the both of us. "You don't ever have to sacrifice things to show that you love us, baby. You prove it to us simply by being yourself. And that's what we want to see, a happy, healthy Kairi," Daddy said in a choked voice.

"If they can't see that you and 'Tou-san are the best for me… then they are a bunch of dummies!" I cried.

Riku chuckled into my shirt and planted a kiss to my cheek. "Kairi, you make us so happy… that's what we want you to know. You are the most important person to the both of us," he said and I nodded.

We sat under those covers, and we talked about love and about family and about happiness… and though there was still a lot I couldn't understand… I never felt so sure…

My real life was here, with my fathers. And no amount of time with my mother would change that.

I finally fell asleep.

-Hello, Doctor-

I didn't cry when Daddy and Riku dropped me off at school… even though I knew that I wouldn't be going home with them for the next week, maybe even longer.

Daddy kissed my forehead and told me that I should be a good girl even when I don't like what's happening around me. He said that sometimes you just have to sit and wait it out before making any rash decisions.

I wasn't really sure what he meant.

Riku ran his hands through my hair and told me to take care of myself. I smiled at him. "Hai!"

Then I watched them leave… they looked like they didn't want to, but as they pulled off… I never felt so…

Alone.

I bit my lip and sighed before finding Zell. He was always good at cheering me up. Zell was really nice, I told him about what was going to happen and he said that I shouldn't worry.

He held my hand the whole day. And when Kasai and Rakurai came to play with us… he made sure that I was okay. I was really sad when the twins' mom came to pick us up, I had to leave Zell. He was the only person left to remind me of all the great times I had before I met the twins and their mom.

"Hey, Sai and Rai… and how are you, Kai?" Their mom smiled at me, like I was supposed to already like her or something.

I didn't say anything. I just stared up at her blankly. There was part of me that just refused to give into anything she wanted.

"I think Kairi is mad at us, mom…" Kasai said briskly.

"Kairi! I'm sorry!" Rakurai yelped suddenly, looking upset.

It was then that I felt guilty about my discomfort with the twins… it wasn't their fault that their mommy was a kid snatcher.

I bit my lip again and took Rakurai's hand. "Sorry…" I mumbled. Rakurai smiled and pulled me over to Kasai, who took my hand quickly and looked away.

I giggled at little at him. Kasai always seemed kinda quiet in a mean sorta way, but he really just wanted to be friends.

"Well, let's get going! Your father is making omurice for dinner!" Lacey said with an excited voice.

"Yeah!" Kasai and Rakurai shouted excitedly. I just followed them as they made their way to the car. When Lacey opened the door, there were three car seats in the back. Kasai climbed into his seat and Lacey lifted Rai into the one in the center. She turned to me and moved to pick me up.

Now I was _not _having that!

"No!" I shouted and clambered into the car myself. I even buckled myself in so that she wouldn't have to touch me.

"Wow, that's great that you can do it by yourself, your father taught you well," she said with a smile.

"Don't talk about _my _Daddy!" I snapped, I was even surprised myself at how nasty I was being. I didn't know I had it in me.

"Mommy, I think we should just go home," Kasai said sharply.

"Alright, Sai… I got it," Lacey said and got into the car.

The drive to the twins' house wasn't that long, Rakurai made sure to point out all the interesting things in their neighborhood. I smiled at him, "Maybe we could play on the playground together?" I asked.

"That sounds like a great idea!" Lacey said and I frowned.

I wasn't talking to her.

"I'm hungry…" Kasai mumbled.

"Well, it's a good thing we're home then, huh?" Lacey said with a smile and I looked out the window to see the biggest house I had ever seen in my entire life.

"I want you show Kairi our toys!" Rai piped.

"Eat first, Rai…" Kasai unbuckled his brother and himself before climbing out of the car. I followed them and Sai took my hand and gave it a squeeze.

I think he knew that I wasn't really ready for this. He knew that I didn't want to be here.

"Dad's omurice is the best!" Rai said and we moved into the house. "Come see my dad toss the rice in the pan! It's so cool!" he continued and we moved to the kitchen…

It smelled really good in there.

"Konban wa, chibi!" a deep voice called by the stove. I looked in amazement as he tossed the rice into the air before catching it in the pan.

"Chibi ja nai yo!" Kasai snapped and Raikurai giggled.

"K… konban wa…" I replied quietly, unsure if the greeting was directed to me at all. The man turned off the stove and put the pan on it before turning to look at me.

"Watashi no namae wa Toshiya… Toshi desu!" he said, his voice warm and inviting.

I smiled. "Kairi desu!"

"Well, Kairi, would you like some omurice?" he asked and I nodded.

"Onegaishimasu…"

"Kairi, dad's not finished with dinner yet, so come see our room! She's gonna stay in our room right, Mommy?" Rakurai babbled excitedly.

"If that's what she would like," Lacey said and I gasped when Rai pulled me down the hall.

"M-matte! Jenova!" I yelped when I realized I had left her in my bag.

Lacey placed my bag down and unzipped it. She moved to grab Jenova and I pulled away from Rai to save her.

"NO!" I yelled and grabbed Jenova before she could touch her. "Don't touch her!" I snapped before running back down the hall, away from Lacey.

Kasai moved over to his mother and gave her a hug and a smile before moving back down the hall.

Whose side was he on?

I sighed and entered the twins' bedroom, which was cooler than Chuck E. Cheese! There was a whole play structure in there! And a bunch of video games and movies and toys. I actually got lost in the fun of it all when I heard the call that dinner was ready.

I sat between Sai and Rai, which was fine because I didn't want to sit next to the child stealer.

"Tadaa!" Toshi-san came into the room with an armful of plates. He gave one plate of food to each of us and I was surprised to see a smiley face in ketchup on my omurice.

"Wow!" I said without really thinking. "Arigato, Toshi-san!" I looked around at everyone's plate and saw that each person had different designs in their ketchup.

Kasai had a flame design and Rai's food had a bolt of lightning on his.

Lacey's had a heart, which she 'awwed' at before planting a kiss on her husbands cheek.

"Itadakimasu!" Rakurai said and everyone followed before digging in.

I took a bite of mine and I was amazed by how yummy the food was. "Oishi!" I called out.

"I'm glad you like it." Toshi-san said and smiled at me.

"So how did everyone's day go?" Lacey asked.

"The teacher asked us to write about our favorite toy! I wrote about the remote control car you got me for my birthday last year, then she let me draw a picture of it! She said it was really good!" Rakurai said.

"What did you write about Sai?" Lacey asked.

"I wrote about how I liked playing with Rakurai better than playing with toys… I don't think the teacher liked it…" he mumbled and Lacey frowned.

"Kasai, I'm sure she liked it a lot, but that's not what she was asking you to do was it?"

Kasai shook his head.

"I'm sure the next prompt will be better Sai. Don't worry about it," Lacey said and ran a hand through his hair.

"I didn't like playing with toys all that much when I was your age, Sai. In fact, I had a best friend named Goro-kun… I played games with him much more," Toshi-san said.

"I wrote about Jenova… Sephiroth gave her to me and told me to take good care of her…" I said out loud, my mouth betraying me.

Lacey smiled. "She must be really special to you," she said.

"Yeah, if I take good care of her, I won't get taken away from Daddy…"

"I'm done…" Kasai said to break the silence that followed.

Lacey stood and picked up the plates that were empty. She looked at me with a gentle smile, "You should finish your food, I know it's been a long day."

I bit my lip… her eyes were so sincere and her voice smooth and light.

I nodded and continued to eat until my plate was clean. She picked up my plate after I was done. "Sankyuu…" I said quietly before sliding off the chair and heading back towards the playroom.

"Mommy isn't so bad… she wants to take care of you…" Kasai said from his spot on a beanbag.

I frowned. "I don't care… I just want to go home…"

"B-but, we're family! You are our big sister!" Rakurai yelped.

"No, you're my friends… I don't have any siblings…" I replied.

"We have the same mom, that makes us brother and sister," Kasai pushed.

"I don't have a mom," I said firmly.

"Yes you do!" Rakurai replied.

"No, I don't… I have two dads and no brothers and sisters," I felt my heart begin to pound at the way the twins were ganging up on me.

"Everybody has a mommy, Kairi… you have one mom and one dad and two brothers. Stop lying… we only want you to be with your family," Kasai said.

"No! I don't have a mommy! I have two dads! Sora and Riku! That's it!" I snapped.

"No! That's not right!" Rakurai yelled.

"Stop lying to yourself!" Kasai suddenly yelled angrily, his eyes flashing with a fiery temper I hadn't seen before.

"I'm not lying! I only have two dads! I don't want a mommy! Stop trying to force me!" I cried.

"Our mommy is your mommy, Kairi! We're only trying to tell you the truth!" Rakurai and Kasai yelled together.

That's finally when I snapped.

"NOOOOOOO! Stop! I WANT MY DADDY! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed and sobbed. I fell to the floor and pounded on it angrily. "I WANT MY DADDY AND 'TOU-SAN! OTOU-SAN! DADDY! COME GETME!" I screamed again through my breathless sobs. I never felt so desperate. I needed my Dad… I didn't like it here… I didn't belong!

"What's going on in here?" Lacey said as she moved through the doorway.

"Kairi keeps lying that she isn't our sister!" Rakurai cried.

"She wants to go home to her dad… she doesn't like the truth…" Kasai said with a frown.

"DADDY!" I cried out.

"Kairi, shhhh… can you look at me please?" Lacey very gently took my face and I turned my angry glare to her.

"I don't like it here!" I snapped and tried to push her hand from my face.

"Kairi, I am your mother… and Sai and Rai are your siblings… but that doesn't mean that you can't have other family members. You can have two daddies too… and that is fine with me… I want you to be happy and I'll accept whatever you throw at me, as long as it will put a smile on your face," Lacey said her eyes boring into mine.

"I just… I d-don't want t-to leave m-my daddies!" I hiccupped before falling into another fit of sobs.

"Kairi, I only want what's best for you… and if that means seeing you less, than I will… I'll be very sad, but I'll do it, okay?" she said softly before she scooped me up and wrapped her arms around me.

"Baby mine, don't you cry… baby mine, dry your eyes… rest your head close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine," I gasped when Lacey began to sing softly in my ear.

I felt my heart slow to a calm and my sobs lessen to soft huffs as I listened to her sing.

"If they knew all about you, they'd end up loving you too… all the same people who scold you, what they'd give just for the right to hold you…" she continued and that's when I realized that I wrapped my own arms around her.

I had never felt someone so soft… and she… smelled so good… sweet and gentle.

"From your head down to your toes, you're not much, goodness knows… but you're so precious to me, sweet as can be, baby of mine…" She rocked back and forth and I felt safe… I was warm and safe…

And that scared me.

A/N: So yeah, my mom used to sing Baby Mine to me when I was little, so I felt that it was the best song to put here to sway Kairi's emotions. Let me know what you think.


	36. Real Colors

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **How many times do I have to say this?

Chapter 36

Kairi's POV

I couldn't forget it… I couldn't forget the sound of Lacey's gentle voice, the way I felt nestled in her soft arms. I couldn't forget how warm and calming it was to have her hold me like that.

I felt safe… the same kind of safe I feel when I'm with my daddies.

Why?

Why did it feel that way? Why couldn't Lacey be horrible to me so I could just dislike her? She looked at me with eyes so honest… it looked like she wanted to give me the world.

Again, just like my daddies.

I bit my lip and stared up at the ceiling. It was early in the morning and the sun was just leaking into the bedroom through the window. I couldn't really sleep all that well. I missed Daddy and 'Tou-san…

And I don't know what to do about Lacey… would it be so bad if I tried to have fun with her? If I trusted her?

Would I be betraying Daddy? Daddy loves me so much. I know there was no way _anyone _could love me more than how much Daddy loves me… Riku may be the only other person…

But Lacey looked so much like she was trying too… like she wanted to love me more than anything as well.

Daddy said love was about giving things up so that the person you love can be happy… Lacey said that if it made me happier, she would see less of me…

She wanted to give things up too…

I sighed and worried my lip before turning over in the bed. Kasai was sleeping on my right and Rakurai on my left.

I nudged Kasai. He shifted and groaned quietly before opening his eyes. "Kairi?" he grumbled.

"Kasai…" I whispered. "Do you think your mom wants to take me away from my daddies?" I asked.

Kasai let out a tired sigh before looking at me with his bright brown eyes. "Mommy just wants you to see that you are a part of our family too… she said that she wanted all of us to let you know that you were welcome here and that you can belong here too," he said, his voice still groggy from sleep.

"So do you think she would be mad if I wanted to stay with my dads?" I asked.

Kasai shook his head, his auburn hair flaming in the morning light. "She just wants you to feel like part of the family… you are my big sister and I guess you can have daddies too… though I don't really get how that works… I guess by the end of this, you'll have three dads, a mommy, and two little brothers… is that a bad thing?" Kasai asked before drifting off again.

I looked over to Jenova who had slipped under the covers when we were sleeping. "Maybe that wouldn't be so bad? Do you think that it's selfish to have two families?" I asked and Jenova just looked at me with her calm eyes.

"I wanna talk to Daddy and 'Tou-san about this," I said before getting up and climbing out of bed. I was careful not to wake up Sai and Rai.

I walked down the large hallway and crept down the stairs quietly. I could hear little noises coming from the kitchen. As I got closer, I could hear voices talking softly.

I entered the kitchen, "O-ohayo…" I stuttered nervously.

Toshi-san and Lacey stopped their conversation and turned to smile at me.

"Good morning…" Lacey said softly and Toshi-san nodded.

"What are you doing up so early? Could you sleep?" Lacey asked.

I looked away from her and bit my lip before shaking my head slightly.

"Toshi…" Lacey said quietly and Toshi-san stood up and walked towards me. He smiled warmly and patted my head.

"Ohayo gozaimasu," he said and left the room.

"Kairi, are you alright?" Lacey asked, her voice laced with the softness of concern.

I felt tears come to my eyes. I couldn't understand why I was drawn to her… why couldn't I hate her?

Because she was trying so hard to love me. She wasn't trying to trick me… and she wasn't trying to hurt me either.

She took a step towards me but stopped… she seemed unsure of whether or not she should approach.

"D-do you not like my daddies?" I asked, my voice weak with tears.

Lacey moved over to me and knelt down on the floor so that she and I were face to face. "I think they are just fine, why would I dislike them?" she said.

"B-but you are trying to take me away from them!" I cried softly.

Lacey let out a small sigh and gently moved me to a chair. I sat down in it and she sat in the chair next to me at the table.

"I know you may think that I don't like Sora and his partner… and it would make sense that I would… but I really don't dislike them. Have you ever been so scared that you say something you don't mean, or say something to hurt someone?" Lacey asked and it only took me a second to think of a time when that happened.

When Daddy and Riku were fighting… I was so scared that I was going to lose my family that I told Daddy that I hated him…

I nodded and Lacey rubbed my arm in a comforting way before talking again. "That happened to me too… I once came to pick up Sai and Rai from school and ran into your Daddy. He was so mad that I would even show my face after what I did to you… when I told him I wanted to be in your life, he was so mad. And he had reason to be, and he said that he didn't want me to be a part of your life at all…"

"Did he really say that?" I asked.

"Your daddy was angry, and he wasn't trying to be cruel… he was just trying to protect you from getting hurt. He was afraid that if I were to be a part of your life again, there was also that chance that I could leave you again… and this time you'd remember. But things were different… and I don't want to leave you, I want to stay and watch you grow and be there when you need me," Lacey continued.

I looked at Lacey and she gave me a serious look, "When your dad told me he never wanted to see me around you ever again… I got really scared. I was so afraid that I would never be able to see you that I said terrible things to him…"

"What did you say?" I asked.

"I said that I was going to ask the judge to take you away from them and give you to me… I told them that because they were two daddies instead of a mommy and a daddy, they would lose and they wouldn't see you again… but truthfully, that would _never _happen…" Lacey said and held my attention to make sure that I wouldn't misunderstand.

"So I won't get taken away from Daddy and Otou-san?" I asked.

"I might get the chance to take care of you every once and a while… and that's really all I ask for… but there's also a chance that I only get to visit you and that's it. It'll be like I'm not really a care taker or a guardian but someone who deserves to check up on you every once and a while… and I would like that too… but I would miss you dearly, and Sai and Rai wouldn't really get to be your real siblings. But it would be great if you could take them under your wing anyway… they need someone like you," Lacey said with a smile.

"Someone like me?" I asked.

"Someone open and friendly… besides Zell, you are the only other person they consider to be a friend. I get the feeling that sometimes they feel like they don't need anyone else but each other… being a twin must be kinda hard… to have someone who is almost exactly like you must make it hard to be your own person… does that make sense?" Lacey said and I nodded.

"So it would be awesome if you could be a big sister and teach them how to reach out to others and become more than just twins… because when you get to know them, they are so different and so unique,"

"I think so too… Sai and Rai are very special," I said and Lacey ran a hand gently though my hair.

"I'm really happy you think that," Lacey said and pulled me into her lap. "So no matter what happens, I want you to know that you will always have a family here, even if the law says you don't… and everyone in this house loves you," Lacey said and placed a kiss on my head.

It was such a relief to know that I wasn't really going to be taken away. It was so heartwarming to know that the people here weren't trying to force me into a spot where I didn't fit. They wanted me to find my own place on my own time and they were willing to make room.

I felt like I could finally see about being a part of this family without betraying the one I already have.

The one that won't ever change.

"So you don't mind that I have a family with Daddy and 'Tou-san too?" I asked.

"Not at all… I'm happy that you have so many people that love and care about you," Lacey said and I turned and smiled at her.

I really smiled at her, it was the first time I had done it since I got here.

"Can we go wake up Sai and Rai?" I asked.

"Sure, but before we go. I wanted to ask you something," Lacey started.

I looked at her.

"What would you say to spending the day with me, just us girls?" she said.

"What would we do?" I asked.

"Have you ever gotten a manicure and a pedicure?" Lacey asked.

"What's that?"

"It's when you get your fingernails and toenails painted. Have you ever seen any of your friends have their nails painted pretty colors?" Lacey asked and I remembered that one time I saw that Kelli had pink flowers painted on her fingers and toes. I was a little jealous and I wondered how she got them but never asked.

"Can they put flowers on your fingers and toes?" I asked.

Lacey let out a small laugh that chimed like a bell, "Yeah, they have all different kinds of designs. You get to pick one out for yourself,"

"Wow! That's cool! When do we get to go?" I asked eagerly.

"Well, I think we should all eat breakfast first, huh?" Lacey suggested and I ran off to wake up Sai and Rai.

Today was gonna be a good day.

A/N: Sorry it's short… and late… been busy! PLEASE REVIEW! :D


	37. Making it Work

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own…

Does it make me a total nerd that I listened to Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles music as I wrote this?

Chapter 37

Riku's POV

It's been three days since Kairi's been with her mother… and Sora is having a hard time.

He cried himself to sleep the first night.

He had an awful nightmare last night and I'm extremely concerned.

Roxas is constantly calling him to keep his mind off of things when I'm at work and Sora's off of working. He doesn't like going anywhere near Kairi's room because it makes him cry. Sometimes I find him reading Kairi's children's books, I think it brings him closer to her. His appetite is on and off and so are his sleeping habits. He also hasn't been so eager to have sex. Part of it I think is understandable but sometimes I think he gets so drowned in his sense of loss that it goes too far.

It's not like Kairi's dead or something, she's coming back. He knows that deep down but not having her immediately there just tears him up too much.

Luckily today, I got off of work early. My brother could see that I was a little off… I won't lie.

I've been rather stressed myself without my daughter around.

My daughter.

I sighed and moved about the kitchen. Cooking was always an easy way to get my mind off of things that shouldn't dwell for very long in the forefront of my mind. I grabbed some vegetables and began to chop away, careful of the sharp object in my hand.

When I heard the door unlock, I smiled and waited for my boyfriend to enter the kitchen.

"Tadaima…" Sora said softly and I sent him a gentle look.

"Okaerinasai, Sora," I said put the knife down to pull him close. Sora just walked into my arms and pressed his face into my neck. His arms didn't come around me. He seemed tired.

"What's for dinner?" Sora asked in an exhausted voice and I laughed a little.

"I was just about to make some yakisoba… but I can make something else," I said and Sora shook his head.

"That's fine… I just want to eat and relax. I'm gonna take a shower…" Sora said and moved to leave the kitchen but I grabbed his hand.

"Sora, can we talk for a sec?" I asked.

"… okay…" Sora gave me a puzzled look and sat at the table.

"Sora, I just want you to know that Kairi _is _going to come back. I'll admit that I've been stressed myself, but I feel like you're working yourself up too much… it's not healthy. I just worry you know… I really just want you to understand that nothing terrible is going to happen with Kairi. Everything is going to be okay," I said gently, hoping Sora wouldn't take it the wrong way.

Sora gave me a dark look. "You feel as though I'm working myself up too much… as if I _want _to feel the way I'm feeling right now… Riku I can't help it if I miss my daughter… I thought you of all people would understand…"

"Sora, that's not what I meant… I just feel like you focus on the fact that Kairi's not here to the point of it being unhealthy. Sora you're exhausted, sometimes you don't eat, you're having a hard time… and I'm just trying to get you to focus on the fact that Kairi's going to come back to us," I said carefully.

Sora scoffed. "Are you seriously trying to tell me to chill out… wow, Riku!"

"Sora, that's not what I was saying!"

"Yes it is! You're saying that I'm over reacting and that I need to calm down. Am I too much trouble Riku? If you want I can go to my mom's if I'm so much of a hassle! I didn't ask for this to happen and I sure as _hell _don't need you to tell me how I should handle what's happening right now! _My daughter is being stolen from me!_ I can't believe you even have the audacity to say something like that to me! I don't fucking need this Riku!" Sora yelled angrily and stood to storm out of the room.

"Sora! Come on! That is _NOT _what I was saying and _YOU _know it!" I yelled and grabbed his hand to stop him from leaving the room.

"Riku, if you do not take your hand off of me right now, I will hit you," Sora said, his voice low and his body shaking with pure anger.

I let him go. Part of me wanted to steady my hold on him, just to see what would happen. But I thought better of it.

With a sigh I moved back into the kitchen. That is not how I wanted that to go… I just wanted Sora to look on the brighter side of things. I was sure that everything was going to be alright. Yes, it was stressful and painful to have Kairi somewhere where we couldn't see her, but something good could come out of this.

Kairi can finally know for sure that her mother thought about and cared for her, even if she did leave. And though I'll always resent her for leaving Kairi and Sora, I can't blame her for wanting to be a part of their lives again. They just aren't the kind of people you want to lose.

And though I hate the thought of losing Kairi… I can commend Lacey for fighting tooth and nail for a right to be in Kairi's life… though it's very likely that every shred of guardianship over Kairi was lost the day she left her with Sora.

To be honest… I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to be handling this… but I do know that Sora isn't handling things well at all.

I finished cutting the vegetables and was about to turn of the stove when I heard a loud crash.

I immediately stopped everything I was doing and ran up the stairs. I moved to the bedroom and when I saw that the bathroom door was closed I walked over to it and knocked. "Sora are you okay in there?" I asked.

There was no response.

I tried the knob and opened the door.

Sora was on the floor of the shower, his body was wet and his hands and arms were dripping with shampoo.

The bottle of the shampoo was on the other side of the shower. It was busted open and shampoo was all over the shower wall.

Sora must have thrown it really hard to have the plastic bust open the way it did.

"What happened here?" I asked.

Sora just trembled, his form curled in a small position on the floor. His head was in his arms and his hands tangled through his hair.

"… I'm sorry…" he said so quietly that I almost didn't hear it.

"Sora?"

"… I wouldn't ever hit you… _ever…" _Sora said his back muscles shuddering at the thought.

"I know that. I also know that you are under a lot of emotional stress… and I suppose I don't have the right to tell you how to deal with it," I said.

"You're right though… if I really love Kairi the way I say I do, then I should be glad that someone who wronged her so early in her life wants to make it right… I should be hoping with all my heart that she is having an awesome time with her mother… but I also can't help but feel like I'm being betrayed by the entire world… by whatever higher being that's up there… it's like… why would I be given the privilege of giving Kairi everything I have, if it's all going to taken from me?"

"Sora… Kairi isn't going to be taken from us… the only thing that's going to happen is Kairi's going to have more people she can count on in her life… more people that love her and more people to give her the best. This can only make Kairi's life better… this wouldn't be an option if it wasn't something good," I said and took a step closer to Sora.

"I hope and pray that you are right," Sora said softly.

"I think it's pretty much safe to say that I'm always right," I said with a small smirk before I kneeled down next to Sora.

Then the next thing I knew, I find my face crashing against Sora's in a searing kiss. I felt Sora grab my hair and release a whimper against my lips. With a grunt I pulled Sora and I into a standing position and pressed Sora between me and the wall.

Sora doesn't remove his lips from mine as he wraps his legs around my hips. I give a shudder and slid my hands beneath his thighs to give him more support.

His skin was slippery from the shampoo and I could taste the bitter tang of it on my tongue. I released a small yelp when water suddenly begins to pour down on the both of us.

Sora let out a small giggle at my surprise. I growled and pinched his thigh, which caused him to jerk his hips forward against my hardening arousal.

I moaned softly and bit at his earlobe before sliding one of my hands to his left buttock.

Sora wrapped his arms around me and arched his back against the shower wall with a gasp. "Riku… ah!" he moaned before lowering one of his arms in an attempt to undo my pants.

I loved the feeling of Sora in my arms, my body surrounding him, loving and protecting him… my desire build him up and tear him down about the same in intensity at this moment.

"Sora… fuck, I want you," I moaned and suck at the sensitive part of his neck.

I could feel the shampoo begin to form suds on his skin. I find my fingers digging their nails into his skin to avoid slipping.

"Take me then… I'm ready," Sora said when he finally succeeded in opening my pants. My manhood sprang free and I panted from the sheer need I was feeling at that moment. I grabbed Sora even tighter and trembled when Sora gave my manhood a few strokes to make it slippery with shampoo.

When Sora's hands went back into my hair I looked into his eyes and pressed my forehead against him before sliding into his entrance.

Sora let out a loud moan that echoed off the bathroom walls. The water showering over us began to burn hotly against my skin as I began to thrust into him.

The steam form the hot water began to cling to my skin and condense into water droplets that fell down my face and hold tightly to the hairs standing on end on my arms.

"H-harder!" Sora moaned and I was only happy to oblige. I jerked my hips to the side to get him right where he liked it.

"AH! Ahhaaaaah…" Sora shouted when I rammed into his prostate. His hips were rocking in time with my thrust to increase the pleasure.

Sora's hands gripped me tightly as I moved. The hold was comforting in a way I had never realized before. I pressed my face into his shoulder and kissed at his skin gently.

"I l-love y-you…" Sora stuttered before returning to his moans and gasps.

"I… hah! I love… you too…" I gasped and shuddered as I felt him begin to tightened around me.

I knew he was close.

I concentrated my attention on getting him over the edge. I slammed into him with all the force I could, our skin making slapping and squelching sounds that would have been embarrassing if not for the acute pleasure flowing through our veins.

"AHH! RIKU!" Sora moaned as he came. I stilled when I felt my climax hit me like a ton of bricks.

I bit Sora without thinking on his shoulder. Sora yelped and when I finally came down from my haze I pulled my mouth away from him and winced.

"I'm sorry…" I panted.

"It's fine… just took me by surprise," Sora said and smiled.

"I gave you a damn good orgasm, huh?" Sora's smile turned into a smirk.

I chuckled. "Yeah, yeah you did…" I trailed off before holding Sora close.

I loved him so much, and to see that relaxed smile on his face was such a relief. I didn't realize how much I needed to see it until I finally saw it and a weight was lifted off my shoulders.

"Riku… can we watch Totoro-san?" Sora asked and I smiled before putting him down and taking off my clothes.

He and I rinsed off before turning off the shower and running into the bedroom. I grabbed my laptop and pulled it up before snuggling with Sora in the bed.

"Do you want subtitles?" I asked.

"No, I want to see how much I know…" Sora said and I kissed his wet hair before pressing play.

I was happy to see that Sora understood the Japanese better than I thought he would. And I was surprised when I saw him begin to cry when the sisters were afraid that their mother, in her illness, had taken a turn for the worst.

It was around the end of the movie that the phone rang and I detangled myself from Sora to pick up the phone.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hi… this is Lacey… umm, Kairi really wanted to talk to you and Sora, I didn't see the harm in it so would you like to talk to her?" Lacey asked, her voice sounded a little nervous.

"Yes, please… put her on," I said and I heard the phone move form Lacey's hands to Kairi's.

"Otou-san!" Kairi yelped with excitement.

"Hey, Ri-chan! How are you?" I asked.

"That's Kairi?" Sora asked urgently and I nodded.

"I'm really happy to talk to you! I miss you…" Kairi said, softly.

"Baby, I'm going to put you on speaker. Daddy wants to talk to you too," I said.

-Hello, Doctor-

Sora's POV

My heart was pounding wildly in my chest when I Riku told me that he was talking to Kairi.

"DADDY!" Kairi shouted through the phone and my heat almost sprang through my chest.

"Kairi! Baby, are you alright! Are you having a good time? Is everyone treating you right?" I asked frantically.

"Yeah! Lacey took me to get a manicure and a pedicure! And then we went shopping together and then I made mochi ice cream with Toshi-san and Sai and Rai! It was really sticky!" Kairi babbled and instead of feeling the hurt that I was sure I was going to feel at her having a good time being taken care of by someone else…

I felt relief, and I felt my heart warm at the idea that she was having a good time. It was then that I realized that I could make this work…

This could work.

I talked with Kairi for almost an hour before I asked to speak to Lacey. Kairi said her goodbye before handing the phone to her mother.

"Lacey…" I started.

"Was this okay? I really didn't want to make the tension between us any worse than it already is… I really hope this didn't upset you, that wasn't my intention!" Lacey said nervously and I stopped her before she could continue.

"It's alright… thank you for letting her talk to us… it means a lot," I said and I could hear Lacey sigh with relief on the other end.

"That's good…" she said.

"Lacey, I want to make this work… I want Kairi to have a family with you, with the both of us… and I want things to be okay between us… you can understand why I was reluctant at first, can't you?" I asked.

"Yes! I can understand… Sora I said horrible things to you when we finally came in contact… I-I didn't mean them, I swear! I was upset and angry and scared and it all just came out… but I didn't mean a word of it… my intentions weren't to take Kairi away from you… and I'm glad that she has a family with two parental units instead of one. I don't really know Riku, but Kairi and I were talking today… she lights up like a Christmas tree when she talks about him… she loves her fathers very much and I would never want to take that away from Kairi… I just want to be a part of her family as well… and I want my sons to have an older sister in Kairi… and Toshiya really enjoys having her around… I can't tell you how much I want this to work…" Lacey said and I felt Riku press his head to my shoulder.

I could feel his tears on my skin.

"Baby, are you okay?" I whispered.

He nodded and smiled though a wet sob. "I'm just so happy… it's one thing to know in your heart that you've become a father to someone… but to have Kairi's mother acknowledge something like that… it's just… it's like I've really earned that title and I don't have to feel guilty or afraid of telling it to anyone…"

I gave Riku a fond look, I never really thought about what it must feel like to be in Riku's position… if I thought my position was bad, in truth…

Riku's was worse.

I had a fighting chance of keeping Kairi, a really good one…

But if it were simply Riku fighting for his right to take care of Kairi… the law probably would have spat on him for even trying…

I'm really amazed by my own insensitivity… it's astonishing how easily I selfishly get caught up in my own woes and completely disregard others.

"Lacey… take good care of her… we're counting on you to treat her right. If you can do that, we can make this work," I said and looked over to Riku who nodded.

"Yes! I will! I promise! Thank you so much…" Lacey exclaimed before we hung up.

"Can I just say that I'm a massive prick and that I'm really sorry for blowing up at you?"

"I've already told you that your blockheadedness is kinda cute," Riku chuckled.

"We're some damn good parents aren't we?" I asked with a smirk.

"Let's have another!" Riku said before bursting into laughter at the sight of my puzzled face.

"Unless you found a secret vagina on me that I didn't know about…" I said and Riku only laughed harder.

"A joke Sora! A JOKE! You of all people should know this!"

"_I'm _the one that makes the jokes, not you! You're the serious, calculative one…" I mumbled.

"Oh, okay… whatever… I'm funny and you know it," Riku replied

"Sure…"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

A/N: Here's a chapter that's a little longer. Sorry for the wait… I hope you liked this one. Review and I shall be happy!


	38. The Footage and the Results

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own.

HAPPY BELATED THANKSGIVING!

Chapter 38

I wasn't worried when I found myself back in the courthouse. Riku took the day off to come with me, and though I was grateful… I would have been fine even if he didn't come. But I knew why he came… it really wasn't to support me or anything… as Kairi's second father he had every right to be there. I smiled at Riku and leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"Any minute now, Kairi's gonna barge through that door yelling for us… I can't wait," I said.

"I know…" Riku said softly and as if on queue, the door opened and Kairi came running through.

"Daddy! 'Tou-san! 'Tou-san! Daddy! You're here! You're here!" She yelled. Riku and I kneeled down with open arms to embrace our daughter.

She ran right into our arms and I released a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Gad it felt so good to have her back in my arms. "We missed you so much, baby!" I said and squeezed her just a little bit tighter.

"I missed you too! But I had tons of fun with Lacey and Toshi-san and Sai and Rai!" Kairi babbled.

"I'm glad you had so much fun, did you and Toshi-san make a lot of food besides the yummy mochi?" Riku asked and I chuckled as Kairi began to tell him all about the foods she made.

I shifted Kairi into Riku's arms and kissed them both before moving over to Lacey and her husband. "It sounds like she had a blast, thank you for taking good care of her," I said.

"Thanks for letting us have the opportunity," Lacey replied. "I had been dreading this day for a while… but right now, I don't have a doubt in my mind that things will work out just fine for the both of us. And by the way, the social worker came over yesterday and took that toy back… something tells me we're in for some sort of surprise." Lacey said.

I laughed. "Now that I really think about it, those eyes were _way _too creepy to be just normal ones… by the way, I'm Sora. We haven't really met formally, Sugimoto-san." I said with a smile as I offered my hand.

"Please, call me Toshi-kun." He replied as he shook my hand firmly.

"Then you can call me Sora-kun. Hajimemashite," I said.

"Hai, hajimemashite, Sora-kun."

"Alright everyone! The judge, aka me, has arrived and it is time to commence. I see that you guys are much less tense, that's a great sign!" Zack said and sat up at the podium. "So I've heard nothing but good things from Sephiroth and I'm very happy to say that you two will be satisfied with the results. However, Sephiroth would like give a little presentation first.

I watched as Sephiroth came out with a cart with a projector on it. That's when I noticed the screen on the left of us.

"Hello everyone… like Zack said, I really had only good things to say about both of you… You two are fantastic parents, however, no parent is perfect… so I've decided to show you two some of the footage I caught will Jenova… just to show you your strengths and your faults." Sephiroth said.

Lacey and I looked at each other with relatively wary looks. Neither of us were really prepared for this.

"So here's the first clip…"

"_Hey Riku, where's Kairi… it's odd that she'd leave this creepy doll down here…" Sora said and bent down to look right into the eyes of the doll. _

"_She must have left it on accident. I told her to take a bath before we go out and she got really excited about her pink bath bubbles," Riku said leaning against the kitchen bar with a medical magazine in his hands._

_Sora gave a mischievous cackle before tackling Riku against the bar. Riku's glasses flew off his face and the magazine hit the floor as Riku's hand moved to grope Sora. Sora was climbing Riku like a tree and Riku was only happy to oblige. _

The video paused.

My face was red as a lobster. "Oh God!" I said and covered my face in shame. Riku placed a hand on my shoulder, it was shaking.

I looked over to him. He was trying very hard to stifle his laughter.

"Now It's great to see that you two have a very happy and healthy sexual relationship, however, it would be best to keep it in the bedroom during times when Kairi can't overhear or walk in…" Sephiroth said, a slight hint of amusement in his voice.

"Well, that's embarrassing…" I mumbled and Lacey gave a small laugh.

"Here's another clip, from Lacey's time with Kairi."

"_Haha! That tickles!" Kairi exclaimed as she was getting her toes done._

"_No! There's no way I'm letting that dumbass get fifteen percent of my profits! Does he think I'm stupid? He's not entitled to anything! Tell him that just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I'm incapable of taking care of my own company!" Lacey said and hung up her phone angrily._

"_Lacey said a bad word… hehe!" Kairi giggled._

"_Ah! Did you hear that? Sorry, don't repeat that okay?" Lacey said with a wince._

"_Okay."_

"_Thanks… now Kairi, when you get older and you start looking for a job, I want you to know this before you jump headfirst into business if you find yourself going down that path."_

"_Okay…" _

"_Business is a really, really nasty trade. If you want to be a good business person, you have to be nasty. Every opportunity you get in business is an opportunity to get screwed over. So you have to have the nastiness to fend off the savages and the cleverness to screw them over before they get to you… I know that sounds awful… but that's how it is. Especially if you're a woman… some men still think we're inferior and if you ever find yourself in a situation where a man tells you that you can't do something because you're a female… you should prove him wrong and call him a misogynist pig to your trustworthy friends later," Lacey said with a wink._

"_Okay!" Kairi said and Lacey lifted her hand and they high fived._

The clip ended.

"I guess I could have explained that better…" Lacey said with a slightly sheepish look on her face.

"Yes, though it was a wise decision to tell Kairi about the stakes against her as a female in a male dominant society, it would have been better if your language wasn't so crude." Sephiroth said.

"Wow… that's something I never would have thought about telling her…" I trailed off. I guess there were a lot of things I wouldn't be able to explain to Kairi because there are things I don't experience as a man that Kairi would experience as a woman. Sure, my mother could do it… but it wouldn't really be the same.

"Now that both of you have seen one of the less admirable aspects of your parenting, I want you to see one of your good points," Sephiroth said and played another clip.

"_You guys ready?" Lacey asked holding a big blanket. _

"_Yes!" Three voices called from on top of the bed. _

"_One, two, three!" Lacey counted and one three she threw up the blanket and the three little kids in the bed wiggled around as they waited for the blanket to slowly descend upon them. When it finally fell completely, Lacey tucked them all in, pressing a kiss to each of their heads. _

"_Mommy?" Rakurai started._

"_Yes, sweetie?" Lacey replied. _

"_Kairi wanted to know if you would sing to us." He said._

"_Rakurai!" Kairi shouted._

"_What? It's what you wanted!" Rai piped._

"_Kairi was too scared to ask," Kasai said and Kairi huffed._

"_Would you like me to sing you a lullaby, Kairi?" Lacey asked._

"_No…" Kairi stated, it was obvious that she really did want one, but she was too embarrassed to ask for one now._

"_Well, why don't I sing a lullaby to all three of you. Would that work?" Lacey asked._

"_Whatever…" Kairi said but it just wasn't in Kairi to be a brat. Lacey could see that she really just didn't know how to ask for something like that from someone she was supposed to be mad at._

"_Hush little babies don't say a word, momma's gonna buy you a mockingbird. And if-"_

"_No!" Kairi piped._

"_Yes, Kairi." Lacey said gently._

"_The other one…" she mumbled._

"_I can't hear you Kairi." _

"_I want to hear the one you sang to me before…" Kairi mumbled again, only a teensy bit louder._

"_I can do that… but Kairi?" _

"_Yes?"_

"_There's no harm in asking for something… so next time, just ask and I promise I won't disappoint," Lacey whispered._

"_Okay…" Kairi replied before Lacey began to sing._

When the clip was over I looked over to Lacey. She smiled and we looked to Sephiroth.

"I have to commend Lacey for extreme patience and gentle handling of the situation. It's always hard to a child to open up after he or she has made up their mind about you… and if Lacey had handled a circumstance like that in any other way, Kairi would not have adjusted to the idea of having a mother," he explained and I felt good having proof that Lacey really is a fantastic mother.

"And here's a clip of Sora." Sephiroth played the clip.

_Kairi and Sora were swinging on the hammock on a quiet morning. The sun was just rising, and bathed the porch in an orange glow. The camera caught some of the trees blowing in a gentle breeze._

"_Daddy?" Kairi started._

"_Yes, baby?" _

"_Do you think love can go away?" Kairi asked._

"_Well, Kai… that's a tough question… but I don't think it does," Sora said._

"_So do you still love Lacey?" Kairi asked._

"_Yeah, I guess you could say that… love doesn't go away, but it certainly can change." _

"_So there are different types of love?" _

"_Yeah, there's the love that changes and the love that doesn't. The love that hits you like a bus, and the one that slowly grows... there's even love that sprouts from hatred," Sora explained._

"_I don't get it…" Kairi said._

"_Okay… the love I have for Lacey is one that changes, when I first met her… my love her her was too thick… it gave way to habits that can drive people away… I drowned her in idealization that sprouted from the love I had for her… but now, my love has thinned out I guess… and I love her for only certain reasons," _

"_Like what?"_

"_Well, I love her for the sheer fact that she gave birth to you? Without her, I wouldn't have you, and even if she left, I still lover her for giving you life when she could have very well taken it away," Sora said._

"_Oh…"_

"_The love I have for you is one that is unconditional… it's infinite and it won't ever change… and there are billions of reason why that is so… I told you some of those a few days ago," Sora said._

"_What about Riku?" Kairi asked._

_Sora chuckled. "That one hit me like a bus… no matter how many times I tried to deny it, pretend it wasn't there… I loved him from the moment he looked at you with those gentle and caring eyes of his…" _

"_When he gave me a check up?" Kairi asked._

"_Yep… crazy right? I think you can identify exactly when you've fallen in love, only after you've acknowledged that you actually are in love… it's confusing when you think really hard about it," Sora said._

"_Will your love for Riku change?" Kairi asked._

"_Yeah… it changes everyday… it's like everyday is a day I try to find a reason to love Riku… its not hard… some days I love Riku just for looking at me… it's not something I can explain all that clearly… but I greatest wish for you… is that you find a love like mine when you grow up. And I hope you have the same love I have for you, for your own kids if you have any… because when I look at you and Riku and my mother and all the people I love in this world… I know what happiness is, and I thank God everyday that I'm alive…" Sora said tears building in his eyes._

"_I love you, Daddy," Kairi said before wrapping her arms around Sora._

"_Oh God, I love you too," Sora whispered and held Kairi tightly._

The video stopped.

I remembered that conversation… it was the one I had with Kairi one morning a few days after I got hit by that car. I remember it because I don't think I ever bared so much of my soul to one person before.

And though it was private… I was kinda glad the people in the courtroom got to see it.

When I felt a hand on my face I turned my head to see Riku smiling at me. I returned the smile and gave him a kiss before looking over to the social worker.

"I personally think this video speaks for itself. Now the last two videos I want to show are between Kairi and her other parents,"

The clip played.

"_Oi, Kairi-chan… mitte, mitte!" Toshiya-san called._

"_Nani?" Kairi asked as she ran over to Toshiya-san, who was crouching near a tree._

"_A poor nestling has fallen from the tree…" Toshiya-san said and reached to pick it up._

"_Matte! My teacher said that if you touch a baby bird, the mommy will abandon it!" Kairi yelped._

"_A mother who loves her baby could never truly abandon their child… just watch…" Toshiya-san gently picked up the downy little bird and placed it back in the nest. "Now, lets watch from inside." _

_Kairi and Toshiya-san sat by the kitchen window with binoculars. _

"_Kairi-chan! Okaa-san has returned," Toshiya-san said._

"_Does the mommy bird not smell us on her baby?" Kairi asked._

"_Nope… they're beautiful, aren't they?" _

"_Hai…" _

The clip ended.

I looked over to Toshi-kun and smiled at him. It was great to know that Kairi had so many teachers to learn from.

"And the last one…" Sephiroth said before pressing play.

_It was dark as Kairi slowly moved down the stairs. She moved slowly into the kitchen and stopped when she spotted Riku pulling water from the fridge. _

"'_Tou-san?" Kairi said softly and Riku stiffened just a little before putting the pitcher of water on the counter. _

"_Kairi, you scared the daylights out of me!" Riku whispered with a smile. _

"_Sorry…" Kairi said softly._

"_What has you up so early, Ri-chan?" Riku asked as he moved to grab a cup from the cabinet._

"_I just couldn't go to sleep…" Kairi said._

"_Well, why don't you and I sit on the couch and talk until we're ready to sleep." Riku suggested._

"_Why aren't you asleep, 'Tou-san?" Kairi asked._

"_I had a bad dream…" Riku said._

"_What happened?" Kairi inquired._

"_I had a dream that something happened to Sora and I had to take care of you myself. And then the government tried to take you from me… Sometimes I don't think the world understands what it means to be a parent," Riku said._

"_What does it mean?" Kairi asked._

"_I don't think parenting should be something driven predominantly by blood relations… it should be moved by the force of love, and care, and… well… to be honest, Kai that's something that really can't be done… love and care can't be measured. It's really hard to show others how much you love a person if they can't see through your eyes and walk in your shoes… I just wish Kairi, that the world could see how much I love you and how much I want to be your father…" Riku said._

"'_Tou-san, you are my father…" Kairi said._

"_I know that… you and Sora, and your Granma can see it. God knows I see it, but people who don't spend time with our family don't see what we see… I'm just a familiar outsider… and I just fear that one day I might not belong at all," Riku said._

_Kairi took Riku's hand and Riku squeezed it tightly. "Otou-san… you will always belong with me and Daddy… and if we have to spend the rest of our lives proving it, then that's just what is going to happen." Kairi said in the most serious voice she could manage._

"_Ri-chan you are wise beyond your years…" Riku said his voice wet from tears. _

"_I get that a lot…" Kairi giggled._

"_God I just wish I could tell you with words how much I love you, Kairi," Riku gasped._

"_I'm a little sleepy now…" Kairi yawned before settling down on her father's chest. She wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes._

"_Do you want me to take you up?" Riku asked._

"_No, I wanna stay right here with my father," Kairi said._

"_You always seem to know the right thing to say," Riku chuckled._

"_Daddy calls it my childish intuition," Kairi said._

"_Well, my fatherly intuition says we need a blanket," Riku said._

"_I want the blue fluffy one from the linen closet." Kairi said and Riku carried her to the closet and pulled the blanket out before wrapping it around both of them._

"_You know, Daddy would call us a burrito," Kairi giggled._

"_Iie, sushi desu!" _

"_Hai, hai!" Kairi laughed before they plopped back on the couch. "Oyasumi, Otou-san," Kairi whispered._

"_Oyasumi, Ri-chan."_

The final clip ended and I squeezed Riku's hand. Riku returned the squeeze before we turned to the judge.

"After talking with Sephiroth and viewing all the evidence, I can say with confidence that custody of Kairi Jane Smith should remain with her fathers Sora Smith and Riku Uchida, I'd advise that Riku formally adopt Kairi as his daughter as soon as possible. I also think that monthly visitations by her mother should be appropriate. However, I would not be opposed to more frequent meetings for the sake of Kairi's half siblings. May all of you continue living happy lives. This court is adjourned!" Zack said and let out a sigh of relief.

I was just glad this whole thing was finally over.

"Daddy, my family is so big now!" Kairi exclaimed.

"I don't think anyone can be unhappy with these kind of results." Riku said, smiling from ear to ear.

"I think it's time we go home now." I walked over to Lacey. "Just give us a call whenever… or stop by. You guys are welcome, anytime," I said and Riku and Kairi nodded.

"Thank you so much, Sora. We'll see you soon," Lacey said and we all moved to leave the courthouse.

A/N: I hope you guys are okay with the results. Sorry if there are typos… don't really have time to proof read. I promise that during Christmas break I will write more updates with replies to all comments! Just wait a little longer!


	39. The Dog

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: DISCLAIMED**

Hey guys, Christmas time is here and I am free from the semester from hell! :D Anyway, I must apologize because I actually started break last week but I kinda got hooked on Sherlock by my sister… so I was a bit distracted. Here's a new chapter, and I'll have comments on the bottom!

Chapter 39

So Riku and I finally decided to head over to the pet store to look at puppies. It was time for a family pet and we wanted to surprise Kairi when we came to pick her up today.

Kairi has been a dream lately. I think knowing that her mother thinks about her and loves her has made her a happier and healthier kid. She was always a good little girl, but everything she does seems just a little bit better and livelier than it was before.

It's been really great. The first season of my first anime has only a few episodes left but it seems to have gotten the spotlight. I've actually been ask to go on a talk show, and appear at next month's anime convention. I really felt like I was reaching people with my voice acting and that was all I ever wanted.

Now that I think about it, everyone has been so much happier now that everything was sorted out. Riku has been really happy lately because he is now a legal parent of Kairi. I had never seen a man cry of happiness so much in one day. He literally cried the entire time we did the paper work, cried when it got the stamp of approval, cried on the drive home, even cried when he bought Kairi ice cream for the first time as her legal father. I didn't mind that much, but it was a little awkward for me to be accompanied by 'Riku the hot mess.' What made it kind of amusing was the fact that Kairi would just keep being as chipper as always, as if she wasn't holding hands with someone who was borderline hysterical.

"Sora, the puppies are over here," Riku took my arm and pulled me towards the left end of the store. I was surprised by the tightness of his grip.

"The dogs aren't going to run a way Riku!" I yelped and Riku let up.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize…" he trailed off and I smiled at him. I took his hand gently and we made our way to the dogs.

They were all so cute, I had a really hard time not choosing to buy several dogs. "They're so adorable aren't they?" I asked and looked to the right of me at Riku.

Except Riku wasn't standing next to me. I looked around and I felt my heart melt at the sight in front of me.

Riku was moving about the cages, his face so close to the glass that his nose might have grazed it. His eyes were alight with exuberance and delight. I hadn't realized he was so excited until now.

"Sora! Sora! Mitte, mitte!" Riku shouted in Japanese, I don't think he noticed how loud he was. I walked over to him and he pointed to the puppies in the bottom cage. "Kawaii…" he muttered and kneeled to get a closer look.

"Would you like to play with one of those puppies, sir?" A store clerk asked and Riku looked up at her with excitement in his eyes.

"Onegaishimasu!" he said and I laughed.

"Riku… you're speaking in Japanese," I said and his face flushed a little.

"Sorry… I just… please can I play with the red one?" Riku asked.

"Certainly! Let me take him out," She said and unlocked the cage room. Riku was practically jumping out of his skin in anticipation. I took his hand again and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry Riku, she's coming I promise," I said with a chuckle.

Riku stilled and flushed again. "I really like the red one," he said.

The clerk came out with the little red and white puppy on a leash. It had white socks and the little tip of his tail was white as well. However, at a closer look at the dogs face, I frowned.

"Riku that's a pit bull… we can't take that one," I said and Riku turned back to me with a look of complete shock.

"What? Why?" He exclaimed and kneeled to pet the dog.

"Pit Bulls are one of the most dangerous dogs in the world. They've been known to maim and kill people. I'm not taking that home to my daughter," I said seriously.

Riku stood and turned to me. "How can you say that? I'm sure those times a dog attacked it was because it's had years of abuse or was taught to be aggressive! No one is ever born bad! Does this puppy look like a killer to you?" Riku asked and sat on the floor. The puppy let out an excited bark and moved to lick Riku's face happily.

I sighed. "No… and you're right Riku… I worry though…"

"This will be my first pet, ever… My father, though a great doctor, had a lot of pet allergies. He never let Zex and I have pets. I just… I've always wanted a dog and a family to share it with. And I've been so excited lately because it's really gonna happen… my dream of a perfect happy family is really going to come true," Riku said as he pet the puppy.

Though we got the dog to surprise Kairi, I didn't realize how important having a dog was to Riku. He looked so excited when he spotted this one, it would be wrong to make him choose a different one. I looked at the puppy's little face, it had a white patch on its muzzle and forehead. It had crystal blue eyes and a brownish-red little nose. To be honest it was one of the cutest creatures I've ever seen.

I sighed again. "Do you really want this one, Riku?" I asked.

Riku looked up at me. "Yes, yes please."

"Then it's yours," I said.

"Hontou?" Riku asked.

"Hai," I replied.

"Sora…" Riku's voice cracked a little as his eyes watered and I chuckled.

"Don't blubber Riku, it's unattractive," I said and Riku seemed to be struggling to reel in his emotions.

"So where can I buy this dog, so my boyfriend doesn't end up sobbing on the floor?" I asked and Riku made a noise of protest.

"I wasn't going to do that!"

"Since you wanted this dog, you have to name it," I said.

"Goro! Goro-chan!" Riku immediately replied.

"I see you really thought about this," I said and Riku nodded.

"Can we also get a bag of dog food and all the other stuff we'll need?" I asked.

The clerk smiled and rung up all the other necessities before speaking, "I'm actually kind of sad to see that one go, he's a great pup," she said.

"We'll take good care of him!" Riku asserted.

"That's good to know!" the clerk giggled as I paid for everything. I picked up the huge bag of food and the other bag of stuff before looking over to Riku. "You ready?" I asked.

"Yes. Are you sure you don't want me to carry anything? All that stuff looks heavy," Riku said.

I shook my head. "It's not so bad." I said and we moved out of the pet store.

I watched quietly as Riku walked the dog through the parking lot. He had this adorable little smile on his face and he seemed to light up a little bit. It made me really happy to see that. I looked down at the dog as it trotted next to Riku, his little ears flopping with each little step.

Having this new addition to the family was gonna be great.

-Hello, Doctor-

"I can't stand that dumb dog anymore! He's driving me crazy!" I yelled in the movement studio and Roxas clucked his tongue in disapproval.

"You should know that taking care of an animal isn't a walk in the park, Sora," Roxas said.

"No you don't get it! That little demon has it out for me! Even though I'm the one that gives him food and water, bathes him, cleans up his messes, I even built him a state of the art doggie house and bought him the softest little doggie pillow money can buy! And yet, sometimes, he refuses to go to the bathroom outside and deliberately tries to go in the house in front of me, he only chews up my things, and he-" I paused.

"What is it? Out with it, Sora," Roxas said and I huffed.

"He steals Kairi's and Riku's attention every second of every day!" I blurted.

Roxas smirked. "Oh, so I know what this is about…"

"No, no you don't! I've literally done things to test my theory, an experiment, if you will," I said.

"Uhuh, and what were your findings?" Roxas asked with a skeptical look on his face.

"After the first week of having Goro, I started leaving work as soon as it got out. You know that I haven't gone out with you guys in a while now, you know what I was doing?" I asked.

"What?" Roxas asked, now curious.

"I would go home and clean the house. I would make Riku's and Kairi's favorite meals. And you know what? Do you know what they did?" I asked.

"What, Sora?"

"They didn't say anything! They just sat at the table like normal and didn't say anything to me! And then…" I trialed off.

"Sora, are you just pausing for dramatic effect?"

"Then Riku actually put his plate on the floor and let Goro eat the rest of his food! His favorite meal, he only ate some of it and gave the rest to the dog! It's not like he didn't like the food, I've made it before and he would light up and tell me that it was his favorite! I know! And he just threw it away like it was nothing!" I whined.

"Aww, I'm sorry… that is kind of a bummer," Roxas replied with a sympathetic look.

"Then, two nights ago I asked Kairi if she wanted me to read her a bedtime story. We were half way into this really good book and I love reading it to her because the characters are so much fun to act out. She would ask every night for me to continue with another chapter, but as soon as we got the dog… she stopped asking. She told me she would rather play with Goro than read with me!" I whined again.

"Sora, you got her a new dog. Once the novelty wears off she'll come back to you. Don't blow this out of proportion," Roxas said.

"What? I'm not blowing anything out of proportion!" I cried and pointed to a blistering burn on my hand. "Riku was doing some reading in his office downstairs late at night… I didn't wanna sleep alone so I went into the kitchen and made some coffee. Being the nice person that I am, I made some for Riku too and went off to give it to him. I opened the door to his office and I was almost at his desk when the stupid dog ran right in front of me. I tripped and accidently spilled some coffee on his papers and on my hand and on the floor. Riku turned around and got mad at _me _for spilling even though it was the dog that tripped me and he didn't even get mad when Goro ripped up a paper that fell on the floor. If that's not some sort of sick favoritism than I don't know what is! He didn't even notice that I burned my hand… it's not fair! And I haven't had sex in a fucking WEEK!" I yelled.

There was an awkward silence afterwards. I didn't realize I was yelling that loud and I seemed to have attracted an audience.

"And so the truth comes out…" Roxas chuckled.

"Roxas… it's not funny. I think Riku loves the dog more than me!" I whined.

"Sora that's bull and you know it. Riku loves you just as much as he loved you before you got the dog. He's just a little distracted; all you have to do is get his attention. It's not that hard," Roxas said.

"How can I do that?" I asked.

"I don't know, do you wear cologne?" Roxas asked.

"No, why does that matter?" I asked.

"Well, there you go. Buy I nice bottle of cologne and see if he notices. Or maybe, go buy some sexy clothing… something like that… it works with Axel,"

I gave a sigh and pouted. "I miss spending time with my little girl… and I just… I don't like being ignored."

"It'll get better buddy. Don't sweat it," Roxas comforted and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Or you could just ignore him, eventually he'll miss you and come find you."

"I'm not gonna do that, that's childish," I replied and stood. "Well, right now that's not my problem. I'm sure there's work to do somewhere!" I exclaimed and moved to see if Vince needed an extra voice for something.

After a normal day at work, I drove over to the mall to look for something to catch Riku's attention. I walked into some fancy looking gentleman's boutique and snooped around. To be honest, this was totally embarrassing… I mean, it's not like I can by lingerie or anything. I had no idea what I was looking for.

"Can I help you, sir?" I gave a small yelp and turned to see a large man standing behind me. He gave me a slightly amused smile before I composed myself.

"Uhh, I'm looking for a really, _really _subtle fragrance… I'm not really a cologne kind of guy so…" I trailed off. This guy was really fucking huge. I mean he must bench at least five hundred pounds.

"Why don't you come this way. The colognes are over here. Is this a special occasion, or are you just making a change?" the man asked.

"Uhh, I guess the second one…" I said, feeling like an idiot.

"Are you okay? You seem a little off," The man said with a concerned look.

"Yeah, yeah… I should make this quick though," I replied and offered him a small smile.

"Well, a cologne I really like is called Frost. It's got really light hints of cedar and pine with a bit of vanilla and sugar for a dash of gentle sweetness. I'm actually wearing it, if you want to see how it smells. We try not to have bottles out for the sake of keeping the fragrances separate and stop them from stinking up the place." The man offered his arm and I blushed.

"Sorry, this is gonna be a little weird," I said and walked up to him. I pressed my nose to his shirt and took a whiff. "Wow, that is really nice. Can I get a bottle of that?" I asked.

"Sure, let me ring you up," the man said and I chuckled.

"To be totally honest, you intimidated me at first… but you're a big softie!"

The clerk laughed and shook his head. "And you're just weird."

I returned the laugh. "Okay, I can handle that," I replied.

I paid for the cologne, which was actually obscenely expensive, and moved back to my car. I opened the bottle and put a little of the scent on before driving home.

When I opened the front door I smiled at Kairi, she was sleeping on the carpet with the dog. I sighed and turned to my mother. "How are you, ma?" I asked.

"Just fine… you did good, getting that dog, Sora. Kairi ecstatic about him," she said and I shrugged.

"I'm glad that she loves it, but to be honest, he's a bit of a handful," I replied and my mom nodded.

"Puppies are always a handful. But you look a little troubled, you want to talk about it?" Mom asked.

"Not really. It'll work itself out…" I said, convincing myself mostly.

My mother stood up and gave me a hug. "I'm sure it will," she affirmed and pulled away. "You smell different," she said.

I frowned. "Different bad, or different good?" I asked.

"It's not bad, just different. Are you wearing cologne?" she asked.

I flushed. "Uh, yeah, I just bought it… is it gross? Should I take a shower?"

"No, no… it just took me by surprise. Let me have another whiff?" she asked and pulled me forward and sniffed me.

"The verdict?" I asked nervously.

"It's nice, you can only really smell it up close." She said.

I sighed, "Okay… I didn't want something really strong."

"Do you want me to stick around or should I go?" My mother asked.

"Well, feel free to stay if you'd like. I'm just gonna get some cleaning done… make sure all my shoes are accounted for," I said.

"Cleaning? Sora this house is spotless!" Mom said.

"Well, I mean… I've been cleaning it daily. But the masterbath needs a good scrub." I said with a determined smile and little fist pump.

"Sora, is your hand alright?" My mother asked.

"Huh? Oh, I burned my hand a couple of days ago. I'm not sure if I should drain it or just leave it. It doesn't hurt anymore so I'm not worried about it."

"You should get Riku to look at that,"

"I'm sure it's fine, he didn't seem all that concerned when it happened, so it can't be that bad," I said with a smile and kissed my mom's cheek. "I'm gonna get to that bathroom, are you heading out?" I asked.

"Yeah, I guess I'll go home. Take it easy, okay?" she warned with a fond look on her face.

I chuckled. "Yeah, I got ya," I replied before walking my mother out. Before heading to the bathroom, I grabbed the throw rug from the sofa and laid it on Kairi to keep her warm. If she didn't wake up soon, I would carry her up to her room. The last thing she needs is a carpet rash. I kissed her head and ran a hand through her hair. "I love you, baby," I said.

With a small yawn I grabbed the gloves and the bleach from underneath the bathroom sink. I put on the gloves and smiled. "YOSH!" I exclaimed before getting started.

If I was completely honest, I would say that cleaning was a bit mind numbing, so it was good for passing the time. I kind of felt like a housewife or something. I laughed and shook my head. "Have to get the bath clean and drawn before the arrival of the master of the house!" I said in British maid voice.

When I was done bleaching, I turned on the water to rinse away the chemicals. I sloshed the water along the side to speed the process but didn't realize I had gotten water on the floor.

"This tub will be shining and spotless just as Lord Riku wishes," I continued, cracking myself up with my own odd voices.

When that was done, I took off the gloves and frowned. I had popped my blister without noticing. "Well, isn't that just unsanitary!" I said and put the gloves by the face bowl. I grabbed the bottle of bleach and moved to stand up.

"Whoa!" I said when I felt myself lose balance. I slipped on the water on the floor and plopped back onto the tile, but the bleach jostled and splashed right onto my burn.

"OWWWW! FUCK!" I yelled when the burn began to sting with the force of a thousand tiny needles. I quickly capped the bleach and put it away before moving to the sink. I hissed as I began to wash the bleach from my hand and wound. "That really fuckin' hurt!" I said, the British accent now absent from my voice.

"Is everything okay up here?" I jumped when I heard Riku's voice in the doorway.

"Okaeri," I said with a smile and continued to wash my hand.

"Tadaima, Sora… have you been cleaning the house?" Riku asked.

"Huh? Oh, not really… just a few spot checks here and there," I said with a shrug.

"Sora, the house is sparkling, and it smells like bleach in here," Riku said.

I looked at Riku. He was wearing glasses and his lab coat, my secret favorite look on him. "Well, I just figured now would be a good time to do some cleaning… that's it," I said. "Now that it's finished though, I'm gonna make some dinner. Is there something in particular that you want?" I asked.

"Nah, anything is fine. Kairi and I wanted to play with Goro outside, so that's where I'll be," Riku said and took off his coat and placed it on the bed.

I dried my hands. "Hey," I called.

"Hmm?" Riku replied and I wrapped my arms around him in an embrace.

Riku returned the hug with a contented hum. After a few seconds, Riku released me and gave me a peck on the lips. "Give a shout if you need me," Riku said and I nodded.

There was a part of me that was contented with that small amount of affection, but the larger part of me felt highly offended that Riku would rather play with Goro than stay with me. I bit my lip and shook away my thoughts before heading to the kitchen.

I guess Riku didn't really notice the cologne…

I trotted down the stairs and moved into the kitchen. The fridge was full so I kinda had endless possibilities when it came to food. With a sigh I pulled out the ingredients for spaghetti and meatballs.

I put water on heat and when that was done I placed the noodles in. I took out the cutting board and a knife for cut up the tomatoes. It wasn't often that I made spaghetti from scratch, but again, I needed something to keep my mind off of things. I was about to start cutting when my phone went off. I placed between my shoulder and ear and proceeded to cut. "Hello?" I asked.

"So, did you catch his attention?" Roxas asked.

I chuckled. "No, he didn't notice… but you know, I don't wear cologne I didn't want anything strong."

"Sora, why don't you just talk to him?" he asked.

"He's gonna think I'm being a baby!" I yelped.

"Well, how else are you gonna get your point across if you aren't frank with him?"

"I don't know Roxas… part of me is really jealous and really hurt… but then there's this other part of me that hopes that if I just ignore what I'm feeling, it will just go away," I said and continued chopping the veggies as well.

"I still think you need to try a little hard to get his attention… did you get any sexy clothes?" Roxas asked.

"Uhh… Rox, I don't even know what that means! I've never really had to have sex appeal before, I'm just not the sexy type of person. I think he'd just think I've gone crazy," I said.

"But you'll have his attention," Roxas added.

I sighed and put the knife down. "That's not what I want… I-… I-I don't know what I want anymore… I just… I'm confused, forget it… I don't want to worry about it anymore. It's no biggie, it'll work itself out… that's what'll happen… it'll all just fix itself," I replied and said goodbye before hanging up.

I let the veggies cook in the olive oil and shook my head. "I'm right, this really isn't as big of a deal as I'm making it… so just leave it…" I mumbled to myself.

When the veggies were done, I placed them in with the tomatoes and added the paste before allowing it all to simmer. I quickly made the meatballs and put them in the oven before sitting down at the kitchen table. I looked out the window and watched Riku push Kairi on the swing.

Well at least they weren't playing with that dumb dog…

I jolted from my reverie by a little whimper. I looked at the puppy in front of me and frowned. "What?" I asked.

The little dog's tail wagged and he grabbed my pant leg and tugged. I groaned and pushed the dog away. "I don't want to play with you, no." I said firmly and jumped when the timer went off. The food was all ready.

The dog let out a little whimper and I looked down at the dog again. "What more do you want from me!" I yelled.

The dog recoiled a bit, but I wasn't finished. I needed to get this off my chest. "You know, I take damn good care of you! But you make my life hell!" I quieted with a deep breath.

"This is _your _fault… I _hate _you…" I said calmly but with as much venom as I could muster.

"Sora…" I flinched at the sound of Riku's voice. I looked over at him and flinched again at the look on his face.

He looked completely and utterly betrayed.

"Daddy how could you say that to Goro! He's been a good doggie!" Kairi yelped as tears started to build in her eyes.

I bit my lip and shook my head. "Dinner's ready when you want it…" I said before brushing past them and out the door.

I pulled my keys from my pocket and got into my car. I didn't want to be in that house… It was so selfish of me to stay and bring so much negative energy… but it was also selfish of me to leave, I felt like either way, I was shattering Riku's dream of a perfect happy family.

It wasn't really the dog's fault… it was mine. I guess I just wasn't ready for a pet. I just wanted something to glue all together for keeps… but I was the one refusing to stick.

It wasn't fair! I was the one being ignored but it's still me that's ruining it all! I drove to the Quickie Mart and parked in the parking lot.

I got out and sighed. Why did I come here? I don't really know, but it was unexpected.

I walked through the door and immediately started to calm from the familiarity of the surroundings.

"Hey Sora! How's the high life, buddy!" Tifa called and I smiled at her face.

I had missed her.

"Hey Tifa… God, it's really good to see your face again," I said.

"I wish I could say the same, dude… you look like shit," she said with a concerned look.

"I just… You're gonna think it's so stupid and you're gonna think I'm such a child…" I said and ran a stressed hand through my hair.

"Try me," Tifa said.

"I'll tell you on one condition," I said.

"What?" she asked.

"Can you give me some work to do… it keeps my thoughts in order," I said.

"Gossip and free labor, sounds like I hit the jackpot!" Tifa laughed. I sent her a small smile when she handed me a broom.

I began to sweep the floor thoroughly as I told her the whole situation… I was completely honest about everything and I didn't leave anything out. Tifa sat on the scanning counter and sent me a sympathetic look. "You always did get yourself in the weirdest situations," she offered.

"Yeah well, I just don't know what to do… I mean, was I not justified at least a little bit in my actions? Was I not at least slightly wronged in this circumstance?" I asked.

"Well, yeah, but Sora you never use your common sense when you're supposed to…" Tifa started. "You completely missed the solution to all of this," she said.

"What?" I asked waiting desperately.

"You're being to stubborn, honey! If you weren't gonna have fun with just Kairi or just Riku… then you should have just settled with having fun with Goro and Kairi or Goro and Riku or all three! Have you ever heard the phrase, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em? You didn't join in on the fun, instead you just sat outside the loop and pouted like a baby!" Tifa said.

"But Goro doesn't like me…" I said.

"That's not true, you just scare him with your negative energy, animals can sense that shit, you know?"

"So this really was my fault and I really was just being a child…" I said feeling foolish and guilty.

"Well… no. It's not just your fault. I think Riku could have been a little more attentive to you. He really didn't sense that anything was wrong?" Tifa asked.

"He didn't say anything if he did…" I said.

"Well I think you just need to have a little heart to heart with your boyfriend, maybe a bit of a cry, have a good roll in the hay, and then a nice nap," Tifa said.

"Yes! That's all I want… I want that…" I trailed off.

"Then you need to have a heart to heart with your daughter and Goro…they deserve an explanation as well," Tifa added.

I nodded. "You're right…"

"I know… you're a man, it's an occupational hazard for you to mess things up… it's a lady's job to teach you how to fix it," Tifa laughed.

"Thanks Tifa… I really needed this…" I said and took a deep breath.

Tifa walked over and pulled me into a hug. "I missed you, kiddo… I remember when you were just a boy with a huge responsibility on your shoulders. You've really grown since then, but even still… we all have our things to work on, so don't beat yourself up to much. Your family is gonna love you regardless of your pig-headed stubbornness."

"I guess I should head home now?" I asked.

"Yeah, get the fuck out," Tifa replied.

I laughed. "Alright, alright!" I griped.

"I'm still waiting on that whopping donation to Quicky Mart," Tifa reminded and I shook my head.

"I'm getting there, don't worry!" I replied and gave Tifa one last wave before leaving.

**A/N:** HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! I know a lot of you were hoping for a Christmas special, but I actually really stink at writing those. I tried and it just didn't feel right. I already have the next chapter almost finished so don't worry. I won't leave you guys hanging. And now for replies!

LittleSister505: The next update will come when I feel that I've gotten enough reviews for this one. Don't worry, it won't be long. And here's a little drama for you. Nothing too big, just something that a normal family would go though, well… not this extreme but it happens. Anyway, I do agree that there should be a bit more BIG drama, however, I will NEVER let my sweet little Kairi get raped. I can't, I love my version of her too much! XD Thanks for the review!

Pinknekomimi: I know you guys wanted a Christmas special, it just didn't work out. I didn't feel comfortable just fast forwarding to Christmas or taking the whole thing out of context. I just didn't really know how to go about it all that well. So sorry. I might just suck it up and do a new years one, but it will have to be separate from the storyline. Thanks for the review!

TheHoneyThief: As I said to pinknekomimi, the Christmas special just didn't work out. I might suck it up and do a New Years special separate from the actual plot. If you're interested send me a PM. Thanks so much for the review!

DeViLaNgEl11: Yes, it was a camera and I commend you in your guessing correctly! I kind of like humiliating Sora, he's just so cute when he's rattled! Haha! Thanks for the review, love! :D

Dannyrockwell: Thank you so much and I will do my best!

Guest: Thank you! I try!

MrCoopCake: Thanks so much, sorry you had to wait so long. I hope you got a good sleep since the last update! Thanks again for your support! :D

Kairi8912: YAY! I'm glad you loved it and thought it was cute! That makes me very happy!

Babychela45: I'm glad my story could reach your heartstrings! Thank you so much for the review and the luck, turns out I actually needed it this time! XD

xXThe Luna Divinar7Xx: Yes! Yay! I did entertain the thought of taking Kairi away, but that wouldn't make for the heavy doses of fluffiness I need to get by in my writing. Thanks so much for the review!

CazzyLove: Sorry it took so long, Caz. Thanks for the review and I hope you have an awesome holiday season! :)

Mochiusagi: YEP! Seph was technically being a total creeper the whole time! Thanks so much for the review!

WindWisp: I'm glad the results made you happy and that I could satisfy your reading pleasure! XD Thanks for the review! Yeah, a lot of people guessed it correctly… I'm just a little bit predictable like that! XD

Cj Quinn: WE NEED THE CUTE FLUFFINESS TO SURVIVE!

AliceofHoenn: Yeah, my stories, with the exception of Blind Date, were all just tiny ideas that sprouted into giant trees of plot line and imagination!

Shiro-chan37: Hey! Welcome and don't worry too much about the English. I wouldn't even be opposed if you wrote reviews in French. I was a pretty good comprehensive reader, and I was semi-fluent… it's been a while, but I always like brushing it up. Merci beaucoup pour votre critique! (not really sure how to say review in French XD) J'espère que vous avez aimé mon entrée! (does that make sense? As you can see, it may need some work!).

TayTayXD: Yes! I really like when I can redeem my characters in the eyes of my readers! I'm really glad you thought it was cute. Thanks so much!

NeverForgetVIIIXIII: YESSS! I'm glad! Thanks for the review!

MisterMango: Yeah, it was a little predictable, huh? XD I'm happy you liked the clips. I can't help myself when if comes to cuteness! I love all cute things, you see. Thanks so much!

Nocturnal Owl: Yeah, I couldn't take Kairi away… I thought about it… but I just couldn't.

DayDreamer6482: Thank you so much, friend! :D

Person-ash: YAY! Thanks!

Triffy: HAHA! I thought your big YES was a big EYES! Anyway, thanks so much for your review. My whole purpose of the clips was to show that even though Kairi and her family are going through some major changes, there are a lot of great things that can come out of these changes. I also wanted to spread the message that love is something that only grows, it never fades away just changes. That's what I like to think at least. And yeah, I thought the conversation with Kairi and Lacey was funny because to be honest, it's never to early to prepare someone for something like that, but it does seem a bit extreme. Hehe! Thanks so much, I'm glad you are thankful for my story and I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

The Fuzzy Ficus: Thank you ma'am! Though this is a season of giving, the story needed a bit of drama… so no fluffiness yet! XD

Sora's-Destiny: Thank YOU so much for reviewing and offering your support!

Mudkipluvr4ever: Hehe! Thanks a lot… though I think it's time for me to reply to everyone's comments again. At least for now, so everyone can see that their input is important to me. Have a happy holiday season! :D

Aki-chan26: WHOA! Your penname got looooonger! I shortened it for the sake of saving time. Your long ass review is very much appreciated! I'm glad that you got into the chapter. There was no way I could make Sora and Riku lose Kairi… I just don't want the heart to do that. I think that's something I'll work on for my next story. I need some serious tragic events, just not in this story! VIVA LA FLUFF! And I'm glad you don't hate Lacey as much. :D Thanks again!

MakingMelody: Thanks for the review, even if it's just a random question. I like those! :D

Kaoru-chibimaster: Thanks so much! I like that you were satisfied with how it all turned out. :D

xxPig. In. a, Pokexx: YAY! I'm glad you think that! I try to make things a realistic a possible without ruining the fact that it's completely fictional. So thanks!

xXSoKuGirl0615Xx: Sorry it took so long! I hope you liked the update!

Muffy: Thank you so much, and I'm glad you enjoyed the scenes. They did involve a lot of thinking. I wanted each scene to prove something about the characters they focused on.

Naruxhinacrazy: Let me just say that I love your Toothless icon/pic/avatar thingy! He's so cute! I couldn't bring myself to end the story just yet. I think we'll have one more major event before it all ends. Thanks so much for the review!


	40. All in a Father's Day's Work

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own man!

Chapter 40 WOO!

When I got home, Riku's car wasn't in the driveway. I frowned but continued to the door. I guess I would have to wait before I could talk to Riku. I opened the door and my frown deepened when the dog ran out the door.

"They left you inside?" I asked, puzzled.

I waited for the dog to come back inside before I started my search around the house. If they left Goro in the house, it was likely that he made a mess somewhere inside. I checked both upstairs and downstairs and was relieved to find that Goro had managed to control himself. I turned to go back downstairs and noticed that Goro was right behind me.

"Were you seriously following me this whole time like a lost pu-" I paused, "you are a lost puppy…" I trailed and sighed.

"I guess I'll have my heart to heart with you first." I said and I sat on the floor in my bedroom. I patted the spot next to me and Goro slowly moved in and sat.

"Okay so you're a dog, but I'm gonna talk to you like you're a person… I think you deserve that," I said and the dog just laid down on the carpet against my leg. I put my hand on Goro's head and pet him gently.

"Look, I'm sorry I was a dick to you. What I said earlier in the kitchen… it wasn't true okay? I was really angry and frustrated and tired of feeling inferior to you… I know that's totally stupid right? To feel like I was second to a puppy dog. But that's just how my brain works, I think up the most irrational shit. I should have just accepted you as part of my family and joined the fun… so I promise to be nicer to you, but you have to promise to stop chewing my favorite pairs of shoes, deal?" I asked before standing. Goro stood and ran out the room. I shrugged, I figured the puppy wouldn't really understand, but at least I feel like I cleared things up.

Then I heard Goro's little footsteps return and I chuckled when he came back with a doggie toy. He shot me a playful growl and I grabbed the toy.

After a few minutes of tug-o-war with Goro, I moved back downstairs to clear out the kitchen. I was a little concerned that nobody ate dinner. I packed it all away in Tupperware before putting it in the fridge. I then washed away some of the mess on the counter, where I noticed I had left my phone. I picked it up and noticed that I had six or seven missed calls. Surprisingly, they were mostly from Roxas. I returned the call with a puzzled look on my face.

"Sora!" Roxas yelped.

"What?" I asked.

"Dude! You can't go running off every time you have a serious argument with your family! It's ridiculous! And if you leave, can you please go somewhere predictable, you little bastard! Why didn't you come to my house! Riku and Kairi were here, looking really upset… they didn't really know where to look for you. But I guess I'll tell them you went back home, you know I hope Riku gives you a good punch in the face!" Roxas ranted.

"It wasn't like I was leaving for good Roxas, I just needed the opinion of an expert problem fixer, then I came back to fix things, but Kairi and Riku weren't home. I already fixed things with the dog, we're cool now… I only wish they would come home," I said.

"Sora, I hope you realize that you're impossible," Roxas huffed and I laughed.

"Yeah, I know…" I trialed off and moved to go clean more things. "But I want to make things right…"

"Well, you do that. I'll talk to you later, don't do anything stupid," Roxas said and I laughed.

"Yeah, I read you loud and clear." I hung up the phone and sighed. I looked at the book shelf in the living room and decided the books needed alphabetizing.

I was at the Ms when the front door opened. Goro barked and I watched him run to the doorway, tail wagging and ears perked.

"Daddy?" I heard Kairi call and I turned to look at her.

"Hey, come here. I wanna talk to you," I replied and Kairi sniffled.

"Are you gonna take Goro away?" her voice was wobbly and upset. My heart clenched at the sound of it.

"No, I'm not taking Goro away. He's part of the family now."

"You said you hated him!" Kairi cried and I picked her up and held her close.

"I was angry, baby. I know it's childish but I was jealous because I thought you wanted to play with Goro more than you wanted to play with me," I said.

"Why didn't you just play with me and Goro?" she asked.

"I was bitter and I was being selfish… your daddy always sets a bad example for you, huh?" I asked and Kairi hugged me tighter.

"That's not true..." she mumbled.

"I'm sorry, Kai," I said and Kairi nodded.

"I'm sorry I didn't ask you to play with us…" Kairi said and I chuckled.

"It's not your fault, baby. Why don't you go play with Goro outside? Then we'll see if Goro's smart enough to play hide and seek," I said and Kairi's face lit up.

"Yeah!" Kairi piped and ran to the back yard, Goro at her heels.

When I heard the back door slide closed, I sighed for the billionth time that day. Two down, one to go.

"Baby, why didn't you just talk to me?" Riku asked softly from his spot on the sofa.

"I didn't want you to think I was being a baby… how exactly do you explain to your boyfriend that you're jealous of a puppy dog because he gets more attention. You have to admit that that sounds a little ridiculous," I said.

"I should have saw this coming… I should have noticed, the cleaning, the cooking, that strange hug you gave me… You were crying for attention and I ignored you," Riku said.

"It's not your fault, I saw how happy you were playing with Kairi and Goro… you always wanted this and I didn't wanna ruin your fun," I said.

"It's not like I couldn't have spent some quiet time with you though, it wasn't like I could only have one or the other. And what is this about a burn? Roxas and your mother told me you had a burn, and that I needed to look at it," Riku said and I frowned.

"It's nothing, it doesn't hurt and it's not a big deal," I said not wanting to dig up past events.

"Where is it, why don't I take a look at it just in case?" Riku asked and I sighed.

I gave him my hand and Riku took it gently. "Wow, it looks like it hurt… you did a good job of cleaning it though," Riku said.

"Well, at least the bleach didn't sting like a bitch for nothing," I mumbled.

"You poured bleach on it?" Riku sent me a wince of sympathy.

"It was an accident when I was cleaning the bathroom," I said.

"Baby…" Riku said gently and put a hand on my cheek. I sent him a confused look.

"What?"

"How did you burn yourself?" he asked and I shrugged.

"Cooking accident," I lied.

"Is there a reason why you're lying to me?" Riku asked with a raised brow.

I bit my lip and looked away, "I spilled coffee on my hand," I said.

"See, now why did you have to lie to me abou-…" Riku's eyes widened in realization.

"Baby, if I had known you had hurt yourself I wouldn't have… aw, Sora…" Riku kissed my hand and I pulled it away.

"I didn't want you to feel guilty about it," I said.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you… and I'm sorry I was too angry to notice you had burned your hand," Riku said and I nodded.

"It's not your fault," I said.

"Let me make it up to you," Riku said.

"I'd rather we just drop it, it's not even serious." I was just glad that Riku had his focus completely on me. I had missed his gaze and his smooth voice.

I also missed his hands on my skin and his lips all over. Oh God, I really wanted some make up sex right now…

"Sora…" I gave a shuddery breath at the sound of his voice. It dropped a little and he took my hand.

"Riku, I-" Riku interrupted me by crashing his lips to mine. With a hungry groan, I nipped and sucked on his lower lip. Riku gasped and I took it as an invitation to explore his mouth. Riku's hands were hot on my neck and I moaned into our kiss.

"Mmhhh…" Riku pulled from me. "We promised Kairi we would play with her and Goro outside," he rasped.

I groaned and pressed my face into Riku's neck. "Afterwards, I'm taking her and Goro to my mom's. I will have you to myself tonight," I said.

Riku pressed his lips to mine with a pleasured hum, "Maybe this time, we can have it the other way around?"

I froze. I looked over to Riku with a face of shock. He flushed a little and placed a hand on my thigh.

"You've been really good lately, despite this whole thing. And I want to let you know how much that means to me," his voice was low and sensual; it made my face heat up severely and made it hard to swallow.

"So y-you're saying… what I th-think you're saying?" I stuttered.

"Do you not want to?" Riku asked, looking nervous.

I threw myself at Riku and held him tight before giving him the most loving kiss I could offer. When I pulled away, I pressed my forehead to his and spoke. "It would be my greatest honor to make love to you… I want to make you mine in a way no one ever could, so believe me when I say I want to," I whispered.

Riku smiled, "I haven't… since Xemnas… it never felt right. But it does now, it has for a while now… I just got so lost in loving you that I never offered until now," Riku said softly and I groaned.

"You're making it really hard to let go of you…" I said.

"Who says you have to?" Riku asked before scooping me into his arms.

"Whoa! C'mon man! I was being so manly in this situation and you totally just ruined it for me!" I whined.

"You'll get it back when you're inside of me," Riku whispered before nibbling on my ear lobe.

Oh god, he didn't know what he did to me.

Once we got outside I scooped up Goro and put him in his dog house. I sat in front of the exit so he couldn't escape. "Kairi! Riku! Go hide! I have contained the monster and I can only hold him back for thirty seconds! Go hide!" I yelled.

Kairi squealed with delight and ran for the slide. Riku moved for the bushes, after about a half a minute I moved from in front of the dog house and Goro walked out. He sat and looked up at me.

"Goro, you need to go find Kairi and Riku!" I said.

Goro just wagged his tail from his spot in front of me. I sighed. "The dog doesn't get it!" I called. "So, I'm gonna help him find you guys." I said.

I started to walk around the yard, hoping the Goro would spot one of them. But he just continued to follow me around. I moved a little closer to the slide. "I wonder where Kairi went, Goro!" I said loudly. "Kairi, call Goro…" I whispered to her.

"Goro…" Kairi whispered with a giggle.

Goro's ears perked and his tail began to wag again.

"Goro!" Kairi said a little louder and the dog turned and spotted her. With a bark, Goro ran up to her and started planting doggie kisses on her face.

While they were distracted I ran over to the bushes and dove in. Riku let out a tiny yelp in surprise but I covered his mouth before attacking his neck with kisses. "Hush, they might not find us here…" I whispered and smirked against the skin of his throat.

Riku took in a sharp breath through his nose when I nibbled on the skin just beneath his jaw line. I moved my hand from his mouth and started groping him over his clothes. "Your body's a wonderland." I stated and Riku snorted.

"I happen to like that song…" Riku said before gasping at the feeling of my hand creeping up his shirt.

"Well, I happen to like the way you moan when I-"

"Daddy?" Kairi called and I shot up pulling Riku up and off the ground.

"Found him!" I yelled. "I found Riku." I said before sweeping up Kairi. She laughed and held me tightly. "What do you say to staying over at Granma's house with Goro?" I asked.

"Can we?" Kairi asked her eyes shining with excitement.

"It's a sleepover with you, Goro, and Granma. Then tomorrow, I'll take you out to lunch. Sound good?" I asked.

"Yay! Sleepover!" Kairi cheered and I ushered her upstairs so she could get her stuff.

"Part of me is really impressed by the way you got her so excited, but part of me also feels kinda bad that this is a ruse to get her out of the house," Riku said.

I chuckled. "No, it's not a ruse. It's strategy, and it's all a part of the child rearing process," I said.

"Oh really?" Riku raised a brow.

"Yes, really. All in a father's day's work. And you know what's at the end of a good father's day's work?" I asked.

"What?" Riku asked, already knowing where this was going.

I wrapped an arm around his waist and kissed his nose, "Satisfying the spouse in bed," I said.

"So I'm a spouse now?" Riku asked.

"Sure, anything to keep you around." I smiled before pressing my lips to his.

"DADDY! You can be all lovey dovey after you drop me and Goro off at Granma's!" Kairi yelped as she moved to the door.

"How does she know?" I asked, completely shocked.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, she knows how you work," Riku said.

"Damn straight! But you know, I don't think Kairi got this new found cleverness from her mom," I whispered and looked at Riku.

Riku just smirked and moved to grab Kairi's hand. "Don't you need to pack up Goro's stuff, Sora? I mean, you did promise to bring him," Riku said.

"Yeah! Daddy, hurry up!"

"Hurry up, Sora, your daughter's waiting," Riku said with a grin.

"Kairi's only my daughter when she's not so bossy, the bossiness came from your side of the family," I joked.

"They always did say she had my devilish smile…" Riku chuckled and Kairi whined to move us along.

"Alright, alright!" I laughed before getting Goro ready to go.

A/N: We all know what happens next! XD

Breaking6883: I love you too, hun! Thanks for the review!

Guest: :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D Thank you, friend! I love you for reviewing!

Cj Quinn: My name is MandaxPanda and I approve your message! XD Yes, I think that smut and music are necessary as well!

Erstine 13624: I'm glad! And I hope you liked this update!

HeirStriderGT: YAY~! I realized my fans needed a Christmas present. Don't worry about the burn, I just like hurting him! Haha! Thanks for review!

Shiro-chan37: Oui! Tout s'arrange! Je n'aime pas quand ils se disputent. Mais, nous aimons les histoire daramatique, non? J'espère que vous aimez ce chapitre. Au revoir!

NeverForgetVIIIXIII: Hehehe! I'm evil aren't I? I hope you liked the update!

Butterflyfreak: Aww thanks! I won't make it worse… I only wanted Riku to feel extra quilty! Hehe! XD Hope you liked the update.

Muffy: Merry Christmas to you too! I always liked having arguments where you can sympathize with all the characters involved, that way no matter the outcome you can be satisfied that at least someone got their way. And yeah, Goro can be a little trouble maker but he's still a puppy so it's merely an occupational hazard. I never really understood the stigma about pit bulls. I'm more on Riku's side when it comes to their actual behavior. There may be some aggression bred into a domesticated animal, but with proper care and training, they can easily be conditioned to be gentle and sweet and loyal. I love dogs actually. I'm a total god person, even though I really do like cats as well… anyway, bleach is harmless is properly washed from the skin, and Riku had his mind on other things, I guess. Thanks for the review!

xXThe Luna Diviner7Xx: HERE YOU GO! :D

Sora's-Destiny: I'm glad you like! Thanks for the review!

Thefuturedoesntscareme: Of course everything is fine! That way it will completely catch you off guard when the real problem comes in! hehehe! Thanks for the review!

Kiba: Don't worry it's not all that weird, but then again I'm not really weirded out by a lot of things! * hugs back * Thanks!

Triffy: YESS! I am back! Yes, yes, and yes! Sora, Riku, and Kairi are acting like usual! XD Thanks for your review! And I'm super glad people are happy Tifa's back. I liked her character a lot!

Mudkipluvr4ever: Yeah, it's my duty to make everything as adorable as possible! XD Thanks for the review!

Kaoru-chibimaster: Yes! Derps all around! And you are correct! It is not the next big event! That will come soon! :D I love you though, even if you are weird… I'm weird too! Thanks for the review!

MidnightxMusic: Yep, just a bump. You know me, I can't have anything end too badly! XD

TheWitchTheBitch: Thanks! And I'm glad you think so, I try to keep them in character without making it too much like the video game.

Lightmaster: It's okay, I'm just glad you're back! Though, it's partly my fault since I haven't been updating all that quickly. Thanks for the review!

LittleSister505: Hahaha! Yesh! I approve of all animals… besides insects… those can stay out. And yes, stubbornness only leads to conflict! Thanks for the review!

xXSoKuGirl0615Xx: Not in this chapter but the next one for sure! :D Thanks for the review!

Ekaceseehc: Hehehe! I think they are about what in what on the adorable-meter! Yeah, I don't take sides that way you can pretty much be happy with any outcome. :D I'm glad you were happy when I updated and I hope you like this one as well. Thanks!


	41. Our Love

Hello Doctor

LEMON IN BEGINNING. It's done at the page break

**Disclaimer: **Chapter 41… nuff said…

Chapter 41

I don't know how exactly it happened, but I actually managed to shave five minutes off the ride home from my mom's house. Part of me was just teeming with energy, the other part of me totally and completely scared shitless.

What if I totally fail at being a top? What if he doesn't like it? What if... Dear God... I come too early!

I immediately shook away those thoughts as I pulled the key from the ignition. Now was not the time to freak out. In fact, there was no way I could possibly fuck up.

If Riku was kind enough to trust me with something like this, then I wouldn't fail him. It was as simple as that. I looked over to Riku. He was unbuckling his seatbelt, his cheeks flushed with what I guessed was anticipation.

I got out of the car and moved over to the other side of the car and opened the door for him. Riku gave a small chuckle and got out of the car. I took his hand gently, and pulled him towards the front door. His hand was hot and a bit moist, I wondered then if he was a little nervous.

I opened the door and we walked inside. I turned to him and pulled him into a kiss. He sighed into it and I took that as an invitation to push our kiss further. I wrapped arms around his waist and snuck my hands under his shirt. His skin smooth and taut beneath my fingers, I let them trace little circles as I tilted my head to deepen the kiss. Without noticing I had backed him against the door. Riku ran his hands through my hair and moaned when I pressed my knee between his legs.

I was seconds away from sneaking my hand into his pants when he pulled away from me. I chased his mouth before coming to my senses. "Riku?" I asked.

His eyes locked with mine for a split second before breaking away. "I want to have a shower..." He trailed off and I smiled.

"Well, come on, the hot water is waiting for us!" I said with an easy smile as I kissed his nose. I took his hand and began to pull him upstairs before he stopped me once more.

"Sora, I meant a shower alone... To freshen up," Riku said and I paused to look at him. And I mean really look at him.

His face was as red as a tomato.

His stance was closed and anxious.

His eyes, though dilated, were a bit shifty.

I had never seen him look so nervous before. He was actually really scared about this.

I frowned and took his face in my hands, "Do whatever you need to do babe, there's no rush," I said and sent him a reassuring smile before letting him go. Riku smiled in gratitude before moving upstairs. When he was out of sight I was hit with an idea. I ran to the kitchen and pulled out some candles and a lighter. I moved to the fridge and giggled when I spotted strawberries and whipped cream. I grabbed all of my supplies before running upstairs to the bedroom.

I placed the berries and cream on the bedside table and placed candles around the room before lighting them carefully.

I shifted through Riku's things to find his phone. When I finally located the on button, I took a guess at the password: Kairi's birthday.

It unlocked.

I felt my heart warm and my desire to take care of Riku increase tenfold as I skimmed through his music to make a simple playlist.

I named it, THE ULTIMATE SEXY PLAYLIST!

I placed the phone in the dock and grabbed the remote before prostrating myself on the bed in a ridiculous manner.

When the water was shut off in the bathroom I giggled and waited for Riku to come out.

When Riku entered the bedroom, I pressed play on the remote and John Mayer's 'Your Body Is a Wonderland' came through the speakers.

Riku's head shot up and he looked at me. I sent him a goofy smile and he scanned the room.

After a few seconds, Riku let out a chuckle and moved towards the bed. "You're such a boob!" Riku shook his head and crashed his lips to mine. I smiled into our kiss and I flipped us around so that he was beneath me. "Hey..." I said gently in greeting.

"Hi..." Riku whispered and I pressed my forehead to his.

"You know I wouldn't do anything you didn't agree to first, right?" I asked.

Riku nodded and looked away from me.

"Do you still want to do this?" I asked.

Riku looked back to me with a startled look on his face. "I do! I just... It's been a while and I guess I got a little bit more nervous than I thought I would."

"You're in good hands, I promise. If it's too much, say... Fruit!" I suggested.

"Strawberry." Riku said.

"No, not a fruit. The word Fruit, silly!" I giggled.

"No, I want a strawberry," Riku said and reached over me before grabbing a large one off the top. He peeled away the leafy part and placed the berry between his mouth before leaning in. I grabbed the other end with my teeth before biting into the fruit. When it broke apart I chased Riku's lips and sucked his bottom lip to taste the juices that escaped the fruit's flesh.

We ate a few strawberries in this manner before Riku got lost in our kiss. I reached over him without his notice and grabbed the whipped cream.

I pulled from Riku suddenly and sprayed him with the whipped cream with a laugh.

Riku gasped and yelped before grabbing the can from me, and yelling angrily at me.

I laughed some more before leaning in to lick all the cream off his body.

"Sora, no! You can't just spray me with cream and expect me to just lay back and let you lick it off of me!" Riku yelled and sprayed me with the cream.

I gasped but sent him a heated look before licking away the whipped cream from his neck. Riku's breath hitched and I hummed against his neck. "I love the way you taste," I said completely surprised by the drop of my voice.

I licked and kissed him all over. I smirked against his hot skin as he began to squirm. Some of the cream began to dissolve to liquid and leak down his torso. I made it my job to catch it just above his towel.

Riku pulled my shirt off, actually smearing whipped cream on my face. I laughed and pressed my lips to Riku. I pulled his towel away as he licked the cream from my face.

We giggled and laughed, gasped and moaned, shivered and writhed as we continued to tear down each other's defenses. We looked into each other's eyes and knew that this was it. We were ready to go.

Riku hid his face in his my neck and grabbed my hand before moving it to his entrance.

With my other hand I ran a hand down his back softly before pressing into him. Riku's grip around my wrist tightened and he shifted a little to accommodate the intrusion.

"That's it..." I trailed off with encouragement and began to stretch him. After about a minute I added another finger and Riku released my wrist to steady himself as he began to rock against me. "Sora..." He moaned hotly into my ear.

I added a third finger and pressed a little harder.

Riku froze up before releasing a pleasured sigh. "Again, Sora, please," he whimpered.

I pressed into his prostate a few more times, feeling him freeze up in a secret pleasure. "I want you now," Riku said desperately.

"God, you don't know what you do to me," I moaned and gently steadied myself in front of him.

When Riku gave me the permission to go, I entered slowly. Riku let out a small whine before arching his back to meet me. I paused and waited to see if he was alright. He looked at me, and my eyes widened at his gaze. It was almost as if I had saved him from something. He looked completely relieved and relaxed.

"Sora, go!" He moaned and I immediately began to move. The feeling of Riku around me was one of the most pleasurable feelings I had ever experienced. And when I trusted into his prostate, the way he tightened around me in pleasure almost made me lose it inside him. "Riku!" I moaned as I picked up the pace.

Riku wriggled and moaned loudly before hugging me closer, his legs wrapping around my waist.

I could feel myself loosing a grip on myself, but I refused to come before getting Riku off. I took Riku's length and began to stroke in time with my thrusts. Riku threw his head back and moaned my name before coming into my hand.

He tightened around in the most impossible way, and I spilled into him with a cry.

I collapsed onto Riku, our chests heaving. Riku looked up at me and managed to let out a laugh through his gasps.

"What?" I asked.

"It's a little tiring, yeah?" He asked.

I laughed. "Yeah, now I know how you feel when I pull you in for round four..." I scratched the back of my head with a sheepish look.

"Don't worry, babe, I can handle it now. With an appetite like yours, I've hand lots of practice," Riku smirked.

I blushed before putting a hand on his cheek. "What had you so nervous before?" I asked.

"The last time I was a bottom... My partner almost choked me to death... I just, I knew you wouldn't do that, but I needed a little more time to assure myself of that," Riku said.

I nodded and scooted closer. "And what convinced you?" I asked.

"I think it was the moment when you looked at me with that stupid toothy grin on your face as you played John Mayer. You know, 'I'll never let your head hit the bed without my hand behind it,' I think were the words of the song. Only you would be so cheesy."

I snorted and kissed Riku's nose. "I was better than him, right? And don't even think about lying to make me feel better if I wasn't." I said looking at him seriously.

"I've never had sex with John Mayer," Riku said with a grin.

"Riku!" I pouted, "I'm serious!"

"Yes Sora, much better. Things are so much more pleasurable when you aren't scared when it's happening," Riku said.

I smiled and pressed my face to his chest, "that's right, and you'll never have to worry about that again. You're totally all mine now... Well, and Kairi's, but you are so stuck with us," I said.

"I couldn't dream of anything better," Riku said, his eyes completely honest.

"God, I love you so much..." I said and Riku blushed.

"I love you too, Sora" he replied and ran a hand through my crazy hair.

"The whipped cream was a good idea. This is gonna sound totally creepy, but I was like this close to taking a bite out of you," I said signifying a small space between my fingers.

Riku laughed and grabbed the can to spray my chest. I yelped, "Cold!"

"Yeah, I was so surprised by it that I didn't mention that little fact," Riku said as he began to lick the sweet off my chest.

I gasped. "You kill me," I moaned.

"Why don't you wait on that until after I'm finished with you," Riku said in his sinfully husky voice.

"Yes! Challenge accepted!" I said and yelped when Riku flipped us over and onto the bed.

-Hello, Doctor-

"I said don't move you imbecile!" Xigbar smacked the back of my head and I yelped.

"I'm sorry! I can't help that I'm nervous! I'm about to go on live television as me, myself!" I cried.

"God help us all…" Xigbar said dryly as he finished my hair and makeup.

"Just be yourself…" Vincent said, his tone was a little patronizing but his eyes were sincere.

I looked over to the set and sighed. I flew out to New York a few days ago to be in this talk show. Unfortunately, they didn't fund for Riku or Kairi to come with me so I was stuck with Vincent. It wasn't really all that bad, surprisingly, it was just odd to see him do anything other than working.

Anyway, the name of the talk show was called The Rose, and it was hosted by Jean Rose. He was a famous writer that soon commercialized and became this big sensation. It really was a great opportunity to come on the show and I was very excited.

Though I did wish that my family was here, I knew they were at home watching the television at this very moment.

"So today, we're are in for a great treat. Over the past few weeks, the new animated sensation 'Coincidence Lover' has been sweeping us all off our feet with it's amazing plot and beautiful artistry. The story is about a single father finding love merely by coincidence but in no small way. Our hero doesn't, in fact, fall in love with a heroine, but with a male champion. Complications include jealousy, miscommunication and misunderstanding, and even physical abuse within the plot. It's exciting and passionate, and hot all wrapped up into a beautiful season of romance and happiness. Lucky for us, the voice actor for Satoshi has agreed to fly over here and have a talk with us! So without further ado, Sora Smith!" Jean introduced and I took a deep breath before entering the set.

I nodded at the applause as I made my way over to the seat. I sat down slowly and looked over to Jean. He seemed completely in his element. Me on the other hand, I was kind of quaking in my boots!

"So thank you so much for coming, Mr. Smith," Jean said and extended a hand to me. I smiled and took it.

"It's a pleasure to be here!" I said and my eyes widened when my voice broke in the most embarrassing my.

I covered my mouth and cleared my throat with a deep blush. "It's great to be here." I tried again, sounding normal.

"So I guess your manager wasn't kidding when he said you've never been on live television," Jean said with a comforting smile.

I flushed a little deeper. "Yeah, if I were totally honest, I would have to say I'm a little nervous," I said with a smile.

"Well, just sit back and relax, and all you have to do is provide the answers to the questions your fans are dying to know about," Jean said.

"Lay 'em on me!" I said with chuckle.

"Well, can you tell us about your experience in the recording studio? Was it overwhelming at all?" Jean asked.

"Well, being a voice actor had been a dream of mine since I was little. The pursuit of those dreams were delayed by the birth of my daughter. But with her encouragement and the urging by those that cared about me, I managed to gather the courage to finally give it a shot. So yeah, when it all came true, I would say it was a little bit overwhelming… but the people I met and worked with made the whole experience so much easier and really fun."

"That's great. So you have a daughter, you said?" Jean asked.

"Yeah, she is the greatest gift I could ever receive… she is my pride and joy. She's the reason I'm still alive and breathing… Kairi Jane is her name. Even though it's way past her bedtime back at home, I know she's at home trying so hard to stay awake to watch this show."

"That's sweet. If you're awake Kairi, thanks for watching! Now, all the fans want to know, is it terribly awkward to record the adult scenes?" Jean asked with a laugh.

I smiled. "Part of me was really anxious… but most of me was just so happy to be there that I couldn't bring myself to make it awkward. I really just wanted to do a good job. And Leon is just a peach, he makes everything comfortable." I said.

"And Leon plays Ryuichi?"

"Yeah, he has been a great person to work with and a fantastic friend since day one. But the person I became closest to was Roxas. He plays Eiji,"

"What do you think made you become so close?" Jean asked.

"He was my mentor and we are very similar in both look, voice, and personality. He also was the first to meet my daughter and she loved him," I said.

"Sora, I hope I'm not prying, but you don't look a day over 20…" Jean tailed off.

"Yeah, my girlfriend and I got pregnant when I was sixteen. It was not a planned pregnancy, but I would never say that it was a mistake. Kairi's been the joy of my life since she was born."

"So it wasn't weird at all being a heterosexual male playing the lead in a homosexual romance?" Jean asked.

"Well, a few months ago. I probably would have told you yeah it's weird… but that was before I met the love of my life, who is most undoubtedly male. Before I was with him, I thought I was straight as an arrow, but Riku just had this way of getting under my skin, of making me feel things I had never felt before..." I paused. "I don't even really know why I'm telling you this. I've never told anyone really…" I said.

"Don't stop on my account, it's like a love story within a love story… my viewers agree, yes?" Jean looked out into the audience and I flushed when everyone began to cheer and urge me to continue.

"So what type of guy is he?" Jean asked.

"When I first met him I thought he was this perfect entity. He was everything I wasn't really… a wealthy doctor, well rounded, smart, clean, totally cool, and a total hero," I said.

"But this was only when you fist met him?" Jean asked and I laughed.

"Yeah, kind of… I took him off the high pedestal after a while. He was still a hero, still smart, and cool… he was so easy to talk to… when he confessed to me, I couldn't believe it… ME? The deadbeat single dad, with what all my ex-girlfriends called baggage? It didn't make sense… I didn't really understand until it was almost too late. Kairi managed to knock some sense into me. She's a genius, by the way."

"So what happened after you two got together, how did it change then?"

"Well, what I thought was a perfect entity, had the most cluttered office I had ever seen in my life, he would not clean the face bowl no matter how many times I freakin' asked, and is a little possessive on a bad day," I said.

"Right, that must have been a little sticky, how did the job affect your relationship?"

"It marks a problem spot in our relationship… and I guess I can talk about it, but it wouldn't be the full story unless you also heard it from Riku. But anyway, long story short… I came home one day with a hickey on my neck from recording one of the scenes with Leon. Riku just lost it… he was so mad… but when I think back on it, I can't really blame him. If I were to come home and see a hickey on Riku… I wouldn't care where it was from… the fact that it was there would be enough to set me off. And then add to the fact that I was distancing myself from him..." I said.

"Why do that?" Jean asked.

"Well, I had never been with a male partner before… I just… the physical part of the relationship at that point still scared me to pieces. I wasn't ready to face him yet, so I drowned myself in work… which was different because it wasn't real… with Riku, I was afraid because I had so much more to lose… if I messed up in the studio. I could start again as if it never happened… I was worried that I would somehow mess up with Riku and lose everything I wanted keep close. It was only until Riku and I were comfortable enough to talk it out without fighting that we finally had the problem solved," I said.

"Well, all of us are happy to know that your relationship and strong and healthy. We have one last question before were done," the host said.

"Ask away?"

"Do you intend to continue taking roles as homosexual characters?"

"Yeah, I had so much fun. Roxas told me that Yaoi plotlines were always the best… and I believe him. And I think our audience agrees too. So yes, if I can get another role in a show like the one I just finished, I would love to take it," I finished.

Jean finished up the show and when we were off air Jean turned to me, "Thank you so much for coming, I can tell the audience loved it."

"Thanks for giving me the opportunity. It was fun… but now I want to go home to the family," I said.

"Best of luck to you, Sora!" Jean said.

"Thanks! You too!" I said before following Vincent off of the set.

A/N: WOOO! It's been a bit of a while… but ITS MARDI GRAS BREAK!

Coffemug: I missed you guys too… I just was a little brain dead and stuck. Thanks so much for keeping up with this when you and Tori have so much to do! I hope you guys are having a great life and I hope you liked this update!

xXSoKuGirl0615Xx: YEP! I hope you liked it!

xXRoxel138Xx: I hope you liked it!

Kaoru-chibimaster: (returns the cyber-glomp) Heheh! Yeah, I am a bit of a tease, but I hope this update made up for it! Yeah, I think that Riku and Sora are dynamic enough as characters to be able to switch roles rather smoothly. Thanks so much for the review! :D

Dreamy Duskywing: Hehehe! Yeah, Sora's an adorable little ball of cheese. Thanks so much for loving the fic! XD

LittleSister505: This update wasn't all that fast but I hope it was good. Hahaha! Goro is really young right now… but it would be kinda funny if he impregnated the neighbor's dog... or if Goro tried to impregnate the neighbor's male dog! HAHAH! Yeah, my sense of humor is a bit off.

MidnightxMusic: YESS! Hot Damn! Well… I hope it turned out that way. My lemons aren't really the best part of my writing… :/ But anyway, I hope you liked it!

Thefuturedoesntscareme: Thank you, love! I hope you liked this update too, however slow it was to arrive.

Kiba: I LOVE YOU TOO! I'm glad I could put a smile on your face!

Mudkipluvr4ever: Yep! Sora needs his alone time sexy time! Hehe! XD

Butterflyfreak: hehehe! Yay! HERES THE LEMON! Hope you liked it!

Muffy: Yes! I love doggies as well! Yes, I have seen Jesse! So cool! But yeah, I try and make all my characters have a redeeming quality even though they may be riddled with faults. I mean, that makes for a more realistic story, I feel. Anyway, I hope you liked the update!

Triffy: Yep! There's nothing really serious about it… it was used to show that it wasn't just Sora at fault in the situation… Riku was also having a hand in the issue. But that's it… My dog, would not a tagger… but she'll run if you chase her! XD Thanks for the review!

Midori-chan37: Je pense que je vais mettre Xemnas dans l'histoire. Mais, c'est un secret quand et pourquoi il reviendra. Hehe! Marci pour vos critiques!

Sora's-Destiny: Thanks! HAHAHAH! I was kinda hoping someone would be caught off guard by that! Thanks again, love!

Lightmaster: Hehehe! YES! I'm not predictable all the time! I hope you liked it!

Cj Quinn: YERSH! I hope you liked it!

Mochiusagi: Heh! Yeah, Kairi was a genius before the story started! Thanks for the review!

DeViLaNgEl11: HAHAHAHHAHAHHA! Here your scene, gurl! I hope you liked it!

StrawberryGirlKairi: Yay! I'm super happy that you love it! I hope you love this chapter too!

Nami1415: HAHAHHAHAH! HAI HAI! :D

Kreyana: Well, it's here now… I guess I should put a lemon warning for those who don't like them. Yep, I love Tifa! I hope you liked it though.

Wings-Make-Everything-Better: WOW! That's an accomplishment. Hehe! Wow, I'm glad it could touch your emotions. Thanks so much!

Cloud Strife final fantasy VII: I hope you liked the update!

Sami-chan: Don't worry, I'll work on it! :D

Jgkingdomhearts13: Thanks bro! Yay! :D

Dannyrockwell: Here it is! I hoped you liked it!

BlueRoseDream: Yay! Thank you so much! But sleep soon, sleep is muy importante!

NeverForgetVIIIXIII: You are just great! Your reviews make me smile! I wants some hot cocoa… even though it's New Orleans and hot outside! XD Thanks, love!

ElectroNerd: Here's the update! I hope you like it!

Dah poop in da h: hehe… your pen names a little silly, yeah? Sorry bro, I really wanted to see how it would work out. Don't have to read it if you don't want to though! :D


	42. A Doctor's Visit and Some News

**Hello, Doctor**

**Disclaimer: **I don't anything but the plot and original characters

Chapter 42

Riku's POV

"Riku, your next patient just finished their paper work and are ready to see you, so when you're ready…" Naimné trailed off as I nodded in understanding.

"Thanks for letting me know, you can send them in. This is the patient that called in about the stomach pains?" I asked and Naminé gave a short nod.

"The little boy looks really uncomfortable in the waiting chair, so go easy, okay?" she said and I smiled.

"Don't I always? Send them in here and we'll see what's up," I said before pulling my notebook together and taking a nice breath.

These past few weeks have been really great. Everything's just been comfortable at home, the dog has been firmly planted into family life, and we've developed a really strong friendship with the Sugimoto's. We've had sleepovers with the twins and Kairi has never been happier.

"Hello Doctor, I'm Jessica Morgan and this is my son Richard… he's been complaining about his stomach for a couple of days and I don't really know what to do about it," the mother explained with concern. I gave her a nod as I shook her hand before turning to Richard.

"Hey, I'm Dr. Riku. How about you lay down on here and tell me about this tummy pain?" I asked and the boy slowly moved onto the bed in the center of the room.

"It's a really sharp pain that hurts when I move or try to use the bathroom," Richard said with a nervous look on his face. Well, looking really closely, it almost looked guilty.

"Is there anything else you want to tell me?" I prompted giving him a look that told him I know he was holding something back.

He fidgeted and looked away. "I kinda…" he mumbled the rest of his sentence and I leaned in close.

"Here, say it softly in my ear," I said and her moved in closer.

"I was playing with my friends and Jack triple-dog dared me to swallow a few marbles…" he mumbled a little more clearly. I nodded and gave him a gentle look.

"There lies our problem… those are not going to pass easily. Which is why you are having these stomach pains," I said.

"I know it was stupid…" he trailed off with a look of shame on his face.

"What's the problem here?" Jessica asked nervously.

"A simple case of indigestion," I said, in truth, that's what it was. I'd let the boy tell his mother the details later on.

"What I'm going to do is prescribe you a laxative and hopefully that will help them finally pass. If they aren't out in three days, come back and well have to extract them. We all make bad decisions, especially to impress our friends. One time I tried to pick a fight with this huge guy in an attempt to show off, I totally got my butt kicked… it was pretty bad, but you learn from it and move on. You have to tell your mom the situation and face the consequences. It's only fair, but you'll treat this as a valuable experience later on," I said and the boy nodded.

"Thank you. She's gonna be so mad… she'll probably take my TV out of my room. I wont be able to watch Striker every Saturday…" the boy moped.

I smiled, "You watch Striker? Sora's in that cartoon," I said not really realizing.

"You know Sora Smith, the guy who plays Blake Slade?" Richard asked excitedly.

"Yep, he and I really close. I watch that show with him and his daughter on Saturdays. He finally played a role in a show a five-year-old can watch," I explained.

"That's so cool! I'm a huge fan. My older sister liked him in this anime he did like a month or two ago. She never let me watch it with her… she told me I probably wouldn't like it," Richard said.

"Yeah, that show was more for an adult age group," I said and turned to the mother. "So here's his prescription. If there is still pain in three days, come back and we'll try something else. Richard, don't forget about what I said," he nodded and they left with a small wave as thanks.

"Hey Riku! Did you know your boyfriend was on the cover of a really popular magazine? Apparently he just signed on to a really big job with Disney. Actually. Sora's kind of all over the Internet. I was looking at my tumblr feed during my lunch break and he's kind of become a new sensation. And dude so many people want to know who you are and want to see Kairi too… you know you're pretty popular when people want to know more about your personal life," Larxene said and I lifted my brows in surprise.

"I had no idea… I figured since he's a voice actor, less people would be concerned about him as an actual person," I said.

"I think it was the television interview… he's a really handsome guy, but he's also got this really cute boyishness to him that's also attractive. And since he's so likeable and great to look at, the people took to him that much easier," Naminé said.

"I wonder if Sora knows he's that famous already," I thought aloud.

"Who knows?" Larxene said and I shrugged before I noticed the door open.

"Here's your next patient, right on schedule!" Naminé said in a chipper voice.

I sent her a smile and moved to greet the visitors.

-Hello, Doctor-

Sora's POV

I couldn't wait to come home and tell Kairi and Riku the good news! Vincent and I had a meeting with these Disney employees who wanted me to be in an animated movie. I was amazed to see Vincent so in his element. He had this cocky smirk on his face the whole time and he exuded so much confidence. And instead of being scarily serious, he seemed suave and experienced.

He totally blew me away. I've heard some rumors that when you sign a contract with Disney, they own you and sign you up for a whole bunch of shit to market you excessively. But Vincent totally made those employees look like fools. He read the contract with practiced ease and with serious precision. He found every flaw, every sneaky angle, and made them change it to the point where the contract was mostly in our favor. The minute we walked out of the meeting room, I bowed to him in homage to his great expertise.

"This is why you should never, EVER, sign a contract without my supervision. Got me?" He had said.

"I know I in the most capable hands around," I had told him in response.

And now, I was practically breaking down the door to the house to tell Kairi that our dream from the beginning would finally become a reality.

"Kairi!" I yelled and I looked to the couch to see my mother jump awake in surprise.

"She's upstairs sleeping, where's the fire?" Jane asked with a alarmed face. I held up a hand to stay her as I ran up the stairs. I busted into Kairi's room and pounced onto the bed. Goro jumped with a yelp and wiggled from beneath me before barking in alarm.

"Kairi! Guess what? Guess what?" I said and Kairi grumbled before trying to push me off of her.

"What?" he said with an irritated voice.

"I'm going to be in a Disney movie! Our big dream is totally coming true!" I said.

Kairi sat up in surprise and almost bumped heads with mine. "Really?" she asked excitedly.

"Yeah! I signed the contract today!" I said.

"Yay! Are you going to be a prince? A bad guy? Who?" She asked.

"I play a prince, in a new princess movie, it's gonna be great!" I said.

"Papa! Omedeto!" Kairi congratulated and I pulled her into a hug.

"Okay, so is this possibly about the new Disney movie?" I turned when I heard Riku's voice and found him and my mom standing in the doorway.

"Yeah! I can't believe it! The dream that started it all is finally coming true for us! How did you know? I signed the contract like three hours ago," I asked.

"Well, it's all over the internet already," Riku said. "Did you know you are actually all over the internet?"

I shook my head. "Nope, but I guess that's good. I'm glad people are enjoying what I have to offer," I said.

Riku smiled before pulling Kairi and I into a hug. "Sora… omedeto gozaimasu," he whispered into my ear and I shivered a little before relaxing into the hug.

"Arigatou! I think this hug could use a couple more people! Get in here mom! And where's Goro?" I asked and laughed when my mother picked up Goro before moving into our hug.

"I'm proud of you son. But right now, I want to sleep. I'm about to keel over. So I'm going to head home, we should celebrate this weekend," mom said and I nodded.

"That sounds like a great idea, Kairi let's walk Granma to the door, yeah?" I said and Kairi nodded before kissing Goro on the head and kissing Riku on the cheek.

After walking my mother out, I moved back into Kairi's bedroom and tucked her in. I sent her a smile and was about to move to the door when her had reached out for me.

"Daddy, what happens after this movie?" She asked with a look that was too mature for her age.

"Kairi, there are hundreds of things left undone in the world of voice acting. Sure Disney was our goal, but that doesn't change the fact that I love voice acting and I love seeing you smile and laugh. So this doesn't mark the end of anything, and even if it did, you have nothing to worry about," I said and kissed her head before moving to the door.

"I love you, Daddy," Kairi mumbled as sleep began to take over.

"I love you too, baby," I said quietly as I closed the door to her bedroom.

When I made my way to my room, Riku was sitting on the bed with yet another medical book. I smiled at the glasses slipping down his nose.

"What are you reading about this time?" I asked.

"The damaging affects of ingesting non-edible products into the body," Riku supplied and I sent him a puzzled look.

"A patient of mine swallowed some marbles and it inspired me to read up. He's actually a big fan of your Blake Slade character," Riku said.

I smiled, "Really, that's awesome! And I'm really on the internet?" I asked.

"Larxene said she found you all over her tumblr feed," Riku said and I scrambled to Riku's laptop to see for myself.

I opened the internet and googled my name. I smiled when I noticed the first link. "It's official! I'm on wikipedia!" I said with a laugh.

Riku chuckled and looked at me, "You should read it," he suggested.

"Here goes, Sora Smith born July 17th is a 21 year old voice actor signed with 81 Produce. He is a father of five-year-old Kairi smith and is well known for his youthful and charismatic voice behind the mike. He is known for his portrayal of Satoshi Shindou in the revolutionary yaoi anime 'Coincidence Lover.' (See full list of rolls below). Oh my god! They have a tab about my romantic life!" I barked with amusement.

"What?" Riku asked.

"Sora Smith claims to be in a committed relationship with a man named Riku, however, this man has been rather elusive to the public eye. It is more commonly accepted that he is in a romantic relationship with former co-worker Squall Leonhart, actor for Ryuichi in 'Coincidence Lover.' There is also rumors that he is romantically involved with his producer Vincent Valentine…" I really couldn't believe it! They thought that I was with Leon? I clicked the back button and saw a tumblr link with my name on it. I clicked it and laughed.

"What is so funny! They think I'm a fake boyfriend!" Riku exclaimed.

"Dude, these fans really want me to be with Leon. Look at these photos, they put them together in such a way that it looks like Leon and I are gazing longingly into each other's eyes!" I laughed again and began to scroll.

"Wait, what? Go back!" Riku said as he put down his medical book and crawled over to the edge of the bed to see the computer screen.

"Look at this one! This is a photo from that promotional get together thing that you couldn't go to because of the conference," I said as I examined the picture.

It was a photo of Leon and me, he had an arm around my shoulder and I had an arm around his waist. He was complaining about how much he hated functions like these and I was in tears laughing at all the things he had to complain about. What totally killed me was when he was talking about how the dead possum we'd seen on the way there would make for better cocktail weenies than the ones at the function. I was laughing so hard that he had to wrap his arm around my shoulders to keep me standing. I had held onto his waist for support as I laughed. Someone must have caught that moment on camera.

"Y'all look real _chummy…_" Riku grumbled and I snorted.

"Really, babe? He's dating Cloud," I said.

"He wasn't dating him then. I'm pretty sure he wanted to be on you… like hard," Riku said.

"Maybe, let's see more pictures," I said and scrolled down.

There were a lot more moving pictures they called 'gifs' and altered pictures than there were real pictures capturing the 'ship' as they called it. I stopped at a blurb in all caps that said "OMG SO MANY FEELS!" After that was a link and I clicked it out of curiosity.

"What is this?" Riku asked.

"I don't know, probably an article or something. I think all the interesting stuff is over now," I said with a pout and Riku chuckled and gave me a kiss before moving back to his side of the bed.

I smiled and decided I would see what this article was about. As I continued to read it, I began to realize that is wasn't an article at all…

It was like a fictional story about me. In it I was just a normal single parent and I had accidently lost Kairi in a department store. I panic, like any good father would, and I come across Leon, who found her. We strike a conversation and we become friends. It was kinda interesting so I clicked the link to the next chapter.

And like that I continued to read and found myself blushing when I realized it was a romantic story about me and Leon. Apparently, I give fantastic blowjobs and really like being tied up.

I coughed at a really explicit part and decided to exit it out. It was making me a little uncomfortable, and not in the good way.

"You okay, Sora? You've been reading that article for a while, what was it about?" Riku asked.

I laughed nervously and turned to him. "It wasn't an article…" I trailed off as I scratched the back of my head.

"What's with that look? What was it?" I asked.

"Uhhh… it was kind of… well, it was like a story… about me… and Kairi… and Leon…" I mumbled and looked away from him as my face reddened.

"What do you mean?" Riku asked taking my face gently.

"Well, I mean it was a romantic fiction about me and Leon. I was a single father and he was a struggling actor who happened to find Kairi when I lost her in a department store," I explained.

Riku frowned but shrugged it off, "So what, that's not really that bad."

"Well, it escalates from there. In chapter 4 Leon ties me to his bed posts and fucks my brains out., and that's only after I give him a blowjob in the bathroom stall of the public restaurant we had had our first date at… I mean, are you kidding me? The _first date_?" I scoffed. "I would never put out that soon! That's just ludicrou-" I was interrupted by Riku's angry kiss.

"I don't want to hear the name Leon come out of your mouth for the rest of this month! Leon is not your boyfriend, he is not going to tie you to the bed and _I _am going to be the _only _one fucking your brains out! Got it?" Riku said sternly and I nodded.

"YES SIR!" I said with a salute. "Are you gonna do it right now? Please?" I asked.

Riku gave me a gentle shove and I fell back onto the bed. "Yes! I want you, please?" I said, borderline begging.

"What's in it for me?" Riku said with a smirk.

"Uh, anything you want?" I said.

"I'm feeling kinda tired, Sora," Riku said and I frowned before pulling Riku down and giving him a searing kiss.

"Why don't we go to the park tomorrow? And take Kairi for that bubble tea thing you were talking about? And then in the next promotional party the company has, I will personally have you as my arm candy and loudly announce to the world that you do, in fact, exist," I offered.

"Now that sounds like a plan," Riku said with a smirk before moving to take off my shirt.

"Today, is going down as one of the best days ever!" I chirped before Riku and I got down to business.

A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter. Sorry I didn't put a lemon in for those of you that like them, just didn't feel like the chapter needed it. I'm sure I'll have another one at some point. But anyway, I have replies below and I'll see you next time!

SoRikuR0x: Here's the next chapter I hope you liked it. There are still a few more tricks up my sleeve! :D

YaoiKittenLover: Yeah, it's definitely been a while… I hope this one was at least a little bit worth it. Thanks so much! Hehe! You reviewed twice but that doesn't matter!

Keiko-uchiha: YAY! I'm so happy you love it! Thank you so much!

Fan. Fiction .Love: Yes! Thank you so much!

Sora Nami Kayaki: YESSS! I wish I could read that fast… It takes me like two days to read up to chapter 41! I admire your skillz! And yeah, a lot of people end up realizing that later on too. Thank you so much!

MrCoopCake: Long time no see! And yes, I do not blame you for ditching me, I know many Doctor Who fanatics… I couldn't get into it too much only because the fandom is mostly het… which is fine, just not my cup of tea… the show at least the first two seasons are really great though. I forgot about your movie suggestion, I have to check it out!

Kaylah1992: Totally happy you said that! Thanks!

Rowan xx: You are amazing for being awesome! Thank you so much!

Kingdomheartslover13: YESSS! Me too, I try to keep them long and interesting, a lot of the time, if it's really long there are a shit load of subplots that I don't care about and it turns me off, so I try to stay focused and not add side stories that aren't really relevant to the overall plot. Thanks!

MisterMango: Hehehe! I try! Yeah, it's kinda hard to hate Kairi when she isn't ruining the ship. And yeah, I have a few more ideas before I wrap it up. So I'm glad you are ready to read more! Thanks!

QueenOfOblivion: BEST. COMPLEMENT. EVER. Thank you so much! Your feedback is so appreciated and I really hope you stay with me as I continue! :D

Goshikku Hime was Yami-san: YAYAYAY! Thanks so much! I hope you liked the chapter.

Prihnex: Hehehehhehehe… maybe they will you'll just have to wait and see with bated breath! Thanks for the review!

Darkmoonfairy16: Yay~! Thanks!

The Queen's Pawn: Hey there cutie! Thanks so much for the review.

Lordibau: You totally caught me… that's how I roll, just like a caterpillar. You've given me great feedback and I really appreciate it. It's not everyday you get someone who will tell it to you straight, thanks so much! I'll see if maybe I can switch it up. If not for this story then the next one. :D

Mrtysh: Yay! Thanks a lot for your review!

DeViLaNgEl11: YESSSS! That's what I was going for! I usually don't like Sora as a Seme either but I felt the need to change it up! Thanks!

Kairi8912: Yeah long time no update! Thanks!

Lightmaster: Thanks for the continued support, buddy!

Kreyana: Thanks so much, I'm happy to know you still read even though there are some aspects you don't like. I'm not the biggest fan of Sora seme either but I figured I should try it at least onece. Thanks again!

Animedprincess: Thanks so much, I've got one or two things left that I want to deal with… it really depends on how much time I want to spend on it. It could be a few chapters or a lot. We'll see!

Dontcrapinsocks: Thank you, socks are nice!

Muffy: Thanks for the review even if it did get cut off! :D

xXSoKuGirl0615Xx: Thanks so much! No lemon today, maybe next time though!

Precious: Thank you!

Mochiusagi: Yep, my thoughts exactly! Thanks!

Ldrmas: Yay! And thanks, I did have a happy valentines day!

Butterflyfreak: Yeah, its been a while and I totally appreciate your efforts for checking your email! More fluff is soon to come! Don't worry!

Kiba: Awww! Thank you so much! :D

ILIKETHEWORDPIE: Thanks so much! You two are so great! Thanks for the good wishes PIE and Fuzzy, I will figure out what I'm doing with Cantabile at some point, it is most definitely NOT dead!

Triffy: Yay, I'm glad it was delightful for you! Yep, the filming of Coincidence Lover is over and the fist season had also finished airing. Yeah, people still don't really know who Riku is though, I wonder what's going to happen with that? Thanks so much!

WindWisp: I missed my reviewers! That's why I updated and I hope you like it! Hehehe! I'm glad the sexies gave you shivers! And Riku secretly wants to have sex with John Mayer, he just doesn't want to tell Sora.

Cj Quinn: YAY! THANK YOU! :D

Joxas: Yes, I AM ALIVE! My sex scenes are always short… I really don't know how to make them longer without getting into gritty details that I would rather not get into. Thanks for the review!

ElectroNerd: Thank you, my fine friend! :D

Kaoru-chibimaster: YAY! THANK YOU SO MUCH, MA'AM! :D

Black Night Shadow: I hope you like the new chapter!

Grellexi: Did you change your penname? Are you NeverForgetVIIIXIII (I think that's how it went)? I know that horsie! YES! I'm happy to be your favorite! YES I WANT MAGICAL GAY POWERS!

LittleSister505: That's terrible, that poor doggie… Anyway, I'm glad you like the story and I wish I had Sora's life! Lol!

Jgkingdomhearts13: Thanks! And I will! :D

Lone Dragonwolf of the Flames: He was honored to do it, but Vincent would probably have made him do it just for the publicity. I tried to make one in someone else's POV but it wouldn't come out right so I decided against it. Thanks for the review!

Sora's-Destiny: LOL! I can picture that though! And Sora's totally corny! Yeah, Xiggy was doing Sora's makeup for TV! Thanks for the review!


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